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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
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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
Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
F.-X. Ouf, M. De Mendonca Andrade, H. Feuchter, S. Duval, C. Volkringer, T. Loiseau, F. Salm, P. Ainé, L. Cantrel, A. Gil-Martin, F. Hurel, C. Lavalette, P. March, P. Nerisson, J. Nos, L. Bouilloux
Nuclear Technology | Volume 209 | Number 2 | February 2023 | Pages 169-192
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2129274
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimental results are reported on the airborne release, under fire conditions, of hazardous materials dissolved in a mixture of organic solvents [tributylphosphate (TBP) and hydrogenated tetrapropylene (HTP)] representative of the nuclear fuel recycling process. Cerium and ruthenium have been considered, respectively, as stable and volatile fission products that eventually could be released as airborne particles during thermal degradation of contaminated and inflammable liquids. Airborne release fractions (ARFs) and their experimental uncertainties have been determined. Considering fire involving contaminated organic solvents, higher ARFs are reported for ruthenium Ru(+III) (0.99 ± 1.20%) in comparison with cerium [0.22 ± 0.31% and 0.20 ± 0.28% for Ce(+III) and Ce(+IV), respectively]. This discrepancy is partially due to the volatility of ruthenium formed under these conditions. Considering configurations involving an aqueous nitric acid phase placed below contaminated solvents, boiling of this phase enhances the release of contaminant materials: 1.78 ± 1.06% and 1.01 ± 1.31% for Ce(+III) and Ce(+IV), respectively, and 12.41 ± 29.45% for Ru(+III). Analysis of the size distribution, morphology, and chemical composition of the released particles and droplets emitted during HTP/TBP bubble collapse are reported, highlighting the contribution of bubble bursting at the solvent surface to airborne release.
