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Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
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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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.
Portuphy Michael Ofotsu, Kazunari Katayama, Takahiro Matano
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 3 | May 2024 | Pages 276-284
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2298519
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Tritiated water from fusion power reactors will be the next major issue when fusion technology comes fully onstream. Effective radiation protection measures will be implemented when the scope of its behavior is well understood. To understand tritium behavior in the environment, komatsuna was cultivated in tritium-contaminated peat soil. It was indicated experimentally from water immersion experiments that the amount of tissue free water tritium in komatsuna depends on the tritium concentration in the soil and that the concentration in stems and leaves in komatsuna decreases as the tritium concentration in the soil decreases. The amounts of tritium retained in the roots were much less than that in the stems and leaves.
