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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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!
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Latest News
NWMO to select Canadian repository site this year
Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization, a not-for-profit organization responsible for the long-term management of the country’s intermediate- and high-level radioactive waste, is set to select a site for a deep geologic repository by the end of the year.
N. J. Peters, J. C. McKibben, K. Kutikkad, W. H. Miller
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 171 | Number 3 | July 2012 | Pages 210-219
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE10-71
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A detailed study at the Missouri University Research Reactor indicates that limitations in the energy balance methodology, using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code (MCNP) and the Evaluated Nuclear Data Files (ENDF), affect the accuracy of predicting important parameters for reactor physics studies. In the case of fuel conversion, key parameters such as flux and power level cannot be measured until the converted reactor is operating. Therefore, predictions with well-known uncertainties are essential for an effective conversion. However, due to inherent energy balance problems in the isotopic heating evaluations for materials within various fuel matrices, in particular the U-10Mo monolithic fuel, the values for the predicted parameters could vary more than previously estimated. In particular, the total recoverable energy per fission, which directly affects the calculated flux for a given power level, appears to be underestimated by MCNP's energy balance method. Therefore, an alternative methodology for predicting the total recoverable energy of a system was investigated. Results for the proposed low-enriched uranium U-10Mo configuration show that there is a 3.02-MeV difference between the total recoverable energy per fission from this work and that from the MCNP predictions. A similar comparison for the present highly enriched uranium UAlx configuration shows a difference of 1.24 MeV.