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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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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February 2024
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?
Edward P. Naessens, Jr., Kenneth S. Allen, Brian E. Moretti
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 152 | Number 3 | March 2006 | Pages 306-313
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE06-A2584
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Current burnable absorbers such as boron carbide placed in the control rod guide tubes of fresh fuel assemblies create a water displacement penalty at end of cycle (EOC) that reduces the overall maximum cycle length of the reactor. Other burnable absorbers such as gadolinium-oxide mixed in the fuel do not create the water displacement penalty but create a lower centerline melt temperature for the fresh fuel and reduce the overall enrichment for the assembly. This research proposes using a transuranic (TRU) isotope with a relatively high absorption cross section such as 240Pu to reduce excess criticality within the reactor at beginning of cycle. The added benefit of using this TRU isotope over a standard burnable absorber is that when it absorbs a neutron it no longer negatively affects the criticality of the reactor, and it will transmutate into a fissile material that will add to the overall criticality of the reactor at EOC.