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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
El Salvador: Looking to nuclear
In 2022, El Salvador’s leadership decided to expand its modest, mostly hydro- and geothermal-based electricity system, which is supported by expensive imported natural gas and diesel generation. They chose to use advanced nuclear reactors, preferably fueled by thorium-based fuels, to power their civilian efforts. The choice of thorium was made to inform the world that the reactor program was for civilian purposes only, and so they chose a fuel that was plentiful, easy to source and work with, and not a proliferation risk.
Jeren Browning, Andrew Slaughter, Ross Kunz, Joshua Hansel, Bri Rolston, Katherine Wilsdon, Adam Pluth, Dillon McCardell
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 7 | July 2022 | Pages 1089-1101
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.2011574
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As the nuclear industry moves toward construction of microreactors and next-generation reactors, these efforts pose new challenges. A digital-twin tool will reduce costs and risk through integration of the disparate systems used in the design, construction, and operation of these reactors. Recent investments at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in open-source digital engineering and multiphysics framework development provide a foundation from which to create and evaluate a digital twin for nuclear reactors. This digital-twin tool will use the Single Primary Heat Pipe Extraction and Removal Emulator (SPHERE) and Microreactor AGile Non-nuclear Experimental Testbed (MAGNET) as case studies to develop a digital twin with both single and 37 heat pipe test articles. The digital twin will provide the capabilities of remote monitoring and unattended operation (autonomous control) of these systems.
A digital twin is a digital replica of an operating asset that can display data received from live sensors, update a physics model for the asset with the received data, compute predictive results of operational status with artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in optimizing asset use, and apply asset control accordingly. This twin will be developed through integration of the open-source technologies Deep Lynx (a data-warehouse technology) and the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE), physical-asset sensors, and physical-asset controls. Specifically, the general AI will successfully predict the events described as MAGNET heat pipe article test cases (such as heat pipe failure) using integrated data from the MAGNET sensors and physics-based models, including developed meta models. The integration of open-source INL software and AI assets with sensor data from a test bed will lead to a repeatable framework and guide for the creation of future digital twins. The team will also perform AI model training and experimentation to determine what models and features are most important to enable intelligent, autonomous control as well as to evaluate and determine best practices for digital-twin cybersecurity.
