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Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
George E. Orient, Nasr M. Ghoniem
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 1617-1622
Solid Breeder Blanket | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24963
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Mechanical interaction between the solid breeder material and its cladding during power cycles is an important consideration in the design of solid breeder blankets. The analysis presented in the paper gives a design tool for material choices and lifetime prediction for breeder pins. The UCLA solid breeder blanket design is evaluated, and operating conditions are suggested. The material model for the pellet includes linear thermoelastic behavior and swelling. The cladding is assumed to be thin and to exhibit swelling and creep. Two alternate breeder/cladding material pairs have been analyzed, a Li2O/2.25Cr-1Mo and a LiAlO2/9-C design. While high swelling excludes the Li2O/2.25Cr-1Mo design, it is found that in the LiAlO2/9-C case compatibility of thermal expansion between the breeder and the cladding as well as low swelling of the breeder result in less than 0.5% total plastic strain after one year of operation.