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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.
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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
First astatine-labeled compound shipped in the U.S.
The Department of Energy’s National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) on March 31 announced the successful long-distance shipment in the United States of a biologically active compound labeled with the medical radioisotope astatine-211 (At-211). Because previous shipments have included only the “bare” isotope, the NIDC has described the development as “unleashing medical innovation.”
Yongliang Xiong, Yifeng Wang (SNL)
Proceedings | International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management 2019 (IHLRWM 2019) | Knoxville, TN, April 14-18, 2019 | Pages 186-188
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is presently being stored at reactor sites awaiting shipment offsite. Analyses conducted for the US Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate potential strategies for removing SNF from reactor sites use detailed, agent-based models of SNF storage and transportation. Often these models include assumptions to facilitate analysis. Some assumptions might rely on expert judgement, and others are implicitly made when analysis is performed. One common, implicit assumption is that there is no preferred time of year to load casks. Another assumption is that operating reactor sites can only load a fixed number of casks per year. An examination of cask loading dates might improve the quality of these and other assumptions and provide further insight into industry practice. Investigators reviewed dates listed in cask registration letters submitted to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The cask loading dates were then evaluated to identify patterns that would shed light on the validity of assumptions. First, the typical number of casks loaded in a campaign was examined. Next, the time between cask loadings was examined. Seasonal variations were evaluated, along with variations that appear to occur as a result of plant outage cycles. Finally, some larger loading campaigns were noted. Loading campaign size and the relationship between loading campaigns and outages followed notable trends. For smaller sites with fewer reactors, a relatively large degree of scheduling flexibility appears to be present. However, for sites having more reactors, less flexibility is observed, and the relationship between outages and dry cask loading is clearly apparent. It is clear that fewer casks are loaded during the spring and fall, when outages are more likely. Furthermore, cask loadings are reduced during the winter months.