ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
John R. Cochran, Patrick V. Brady, Ernest L. Hardin (SNL)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 810-817
Disposal of used nuclear fuel and vitrified high-level radioactive waste (UNF and HLW) in a mined geologic repository is the preferred alternative for the countries with the largest inventories of UNF and HLW. However, deep borehole disposal (DBD) may be especially well suited for countries with small nuclear power programs because DBD is relatively inexpensive and scalable; whereas the threshold costs to develop a mined geologic repository are high and do not scale with the inventory.
Historically, options for countries with small nuclear power programs (programs that individually generate only a few percent of the world total mass of UNF and/or HLW) have been: (1) to return the UNF to the supplier, (2) to have the SNF reprocessed, with return and in-country disposal of the resulting vitrified HLW in a mined geologic repository, (3) to develop in-country, direct disposal of the UNF in a mined geologic repository or (4) to send the UNF to a hypothetical multi-national mined geologic repository for disposal. However, in-country DBD is likely to be least expensive, and technically achievable with existing technology. In-country DBD could also be a viable alternative for disposal of used fuel assemblies from decommissioned research reactors in developing countries.