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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.
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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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Latest News
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
M. S. Tillack, R. L. Miller, C. G. Bathke, L. A. El-Guebaly
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 1594-1598
Fusion Power Plants and Economics | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963179
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Advanced structural materials for fusion in-vessel components offer the promise of improved safety and environmental features as well as improved engineering performance, as characterized by high thermal conversion efficiency and high power density limits. However, the cost of advanced materials is expected to be much higher than that of more conventional steel-based alloys. Therefore, the economic advantage is limited. In this study, we compare a high-performance vanadium-based power plant and a lower-performance ferritic steel plant. Self-consistency is maintained through the use of the ARIES systems code. The tradeoffs include the effect of coolant outlet temperature on thermal conversion efficiency, power density limitations, component lifetime and availability. Ideally, comparisons should be made between fully-detailed design concepts. However, a rough systems-level analysis allows identification of the relative magnitude of the economic advantages expected from “high performance” materials.