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
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Proving DRACO will deliver
The United States is now closer than it has been in over five decades to launching the first nuclear thermal rocket into space, thanks to DRACO—the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Orbit.
Sunil K. Ghose, Leonard M. Goldman, Kim D. Auclair
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 3 | May 1992 | Pages 1501-1505
Inertial Fusion Reactor Studies | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29932
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Balance-of-plant design aspects of two inertial fusion energy (IFE) reactor concepts - the laser-driven SOMBRERO and the heavy ion beam (HIB) driven OSIRIS - are being evaluated at a preconceptual level. The net electrical output of both plants is selected as 1,000 MWe (reference case). The economics of higher and lower capacities are also being evaluated. The heat transport system for both the reactors utilizes an intermediate loop with liquid lead as the intermediate coolant. An intermediate loop is chosen to reduce the potential of tritium migration to the environment. Both reactors utilize a supercritical pressure steam power conversion system with double reheat to achieve high conversion efficiency; a high efficiency is critical due to the capital-intensive nature of the plants and the low efficiencies of the laser and HIB drivers. The SOMBRERO plant facility is characterized by a large reactor building dictated by the laser optics configuration requirements. The plant also includes two moderate-size laser buildings. The OSIRIS plant facility is characterized by a moderate size reactor building, whose size is dictated by the remote maintenance requirements. In addition, a five-kilometer-long HIB tunnel is a unique feature of this plant. A remote maintenance approach is proposed for each of the reactors consistent with state-of-the-art methods and tools.