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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Two steps forward for U.K. advanced nuclear
This week, two significant announcements have emerged from the United Kingdom’s advanced reactor sector.
On June 14, Rolls-Royce, the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that they had signed two trilateral memorandums of cooperation to collaborate on “advanced modular reactor (AMR) technology, specifically high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR), and the coated particle fuel these reactors will use.”
Separately, on June 16, Bellevue, Wash.–based TerraPower announced that its Natrium reactor design has been formally submitted for U.K. regulatory review. The company also announced the formation of a new subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd.
Claudia M. Shuldberg, Michael E. Schoff, Hongwei Xu, Noel L. Alfonso, Erwin Castillo, Jay W. Crippen, Martin L. Hoppe Sr., Michael P. Farrell
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 164-172
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-231
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The fabrication of three multilayer Omega-scale capsule designs with combinations of materials such as beryllium, silicon, tungsten, and copper were evaluated as part of the fabrication and delivery process. These opaque capsule designs presented characterization challenges in that nominal optical characterization techniques for Omega-scale designs were not sufficient to fully characterize the capsules. Alternate techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, radiography, scanning electron microscopy, and spectroscopy needed to be utilized in order to characterize these capsule designs. Additionally, the permeability of each material varies; therefore, each capsule design required a different approach to fill the capsule for the experiment. Three techniques were used to deliver gas-filled capsules to the experimental teams: (a) filling through the drill hole, sealing with glue under pressure, and minimizing the glue mass using laser ablation; (b) attaching a capsule fill tube assembly into the drill hole; and (c) gas permeation through the wall. The issues encountered with these techniques and their solutions are presented.