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
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
College students help develop waste-measuring device at Hanford
A partnership between Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) and Washington State University has resulted in the development of a device to measure radioactive and chemical tank waste at the Hanford Site. WRPS is the contractor at Hanford for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
J. E. Klein
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 67 | Number 2 | March 2015 | Pages 416-419
Proceedings of TRITIUM 2013 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-T42
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The reduction in hydride absorption rate due to ”blanketing” can be explained in terms of a reduced hydrogen partial pressure in the bed due to the accumulation of inerts (i.e. non-hydrogen isotopes) in the bed void volume. Literature results show reduced absorption rates when protium for bed absorption contains helium with low-end inert compositions in the 0.6 to 1% range. A hydride bed containing 9.66 kg of LaNi4.25Al0.75 (LANA0.75) metal hydride - a nominal capacity of 1400 STP-L, was cycled repeatedly to decrepitate the hydride material into smaller particles for bed strain measurement. The hydride cycles added and removed nominally 1000 to 1100 STP-L of protium per hydride cycle. Consistent and repeatable absorptions results were observed for different absorption cycles. During one of the absorption tests, slower absorption results were obtained due to the use of typical grade (500 ppm inerts), instead of research grade, protium which blanketed the bed. The impact of 0.05% inerts in protium on bed absorption rate is shown and explained in terms of an increase in inert partial pressure as the bed was loaded.