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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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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Glass strategy: Hanford’s enhanced waste glass program
The mission of the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is to complete the safe cleanup of waste resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development. One of the most technologically challenging responsibilities is the safe disposition of approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste historically stored in 177 tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
ORP has a clear incentive to reduce the overall mission duration and cost. One pathway is to develop and deploy innovative technical solutions that can advance baseline flow sheets toward higher efficiency operations while reducing identified risks without compromising safety. Vitrification is the baseline process that will convert both high-level and low-level radioactive waste at Hanford into a stable glass waste form for long-term storage and disposal.
Although vitrification is a mature technology, there are key areas where technology can further reduce operational risks, advance baseline processes to maximize waste throughput, and provide the underpinning to enhance operational flexibility; all steps in reducing mission duration and cost.
Kevin J. Kramer et al.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 72-77
IFE - NIF & LIFE | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST10-295
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) concept is being developed to operate as either a pure fusion or hybrid fusion-fission system. The hybrid version is designed to generate power and burn both fertile and fissile nuclear fuel. The fuel blanket is composed of TRISO-based fuel cooled by a molten salt. Low-yield (~25-40 MJ) targets and a repetition rate of ~10-15 Hz produce a 300-500 MW fusion source. When this fusion power is coupled to a compact (2-4 m diameter) target chamber, a 14 MeV neutron flux of ~2 × 1014 n/cm2-s drives fissile production and destruction in the fuel blanket providing an additional energy gain of 4-8, depending on the fuel and design objective.We employ a methodology using 6Li as a neutron absorber to generate self-sustaining tritium production for fusion and to maintain constant power over the lifetime of the engine. In a single pass, fertile LIFE blankets achieve uranium and thorium utilization beyond 80% without chemical reprocessing or isotopic enrichment. Fissile blankets destroy more than 90% of the initial load of weapons grade plutonium or highly enriched uranium.
