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
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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
Constellation seeks rezone for property adjacent to Illinois plant
While no development details have been released, Constellation is asking to rezone 658.8 acres of land it owns around the Byron nuclear plant in Illinois for possible long-term use.
C. Stansbury, M. Smith, P. Ferroni, A. Harkness, F. Franceschini (Westinghouse)
Proceedings | 2018 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2018) | Charlotte, NC, April 8-11, 2018 | Pages 998-1006
Development of the Westinghouse lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) has continued; focused on quantifying drivers of cost and using that information to select new, innovative design characteristics to optimize economics while maintaining and harnessing the LFR’s promise of exceptional safety performance. An intelligent method of concept selection has been employed across a wide variety of systems and components to deliver the lowest total cost to operators. Multiple core designs and fuel management schemes are considered possible within the design, including very high burnup fuel to reduce fuel cycle cost and enhance proliferation resistance. Notably, Westinghouse is considering supercritical CO2 as advanced balance of plant technology, driving both economics and efficiency. When coupled to an innovative thermal energy storage system, the LFR will be capable of supporting the adoption of non-dispatchable grid resources by providing economical and scalable energy storage. By utilizing lead to achieve a plant economic objective, rather than a predetermined fuel mission, Westinghouse believes they can effectively deliver the promise of Generation IV nuclear technologies; low-cost, intrinsically safe, sustainable, and proliferation resistant, by combining the benefits of LFR technology with customer needs-driven innovation and the company's experience, matured over decades of nuclear power plant design, development, and commercialization.