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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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
Commercial nuclear innovation "new space" age
In early 2006, a start-up company launched a small rocket from a tiny island in the Pacific. It exploded, showering the island with debris. A year later, a second launch attempt sent a rocket to space but failed to make orbit, burning up in the atmosphere. Another year brought a third attempt—and a third failure. The following month, in September 2008, the company used the last of its funds to launch a fourth rocket. It reached orbit, making history as the first privately funded liquid-fueled rocket to do so.
KArl H. Puechl
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 12 | Number 2 | February 1962 | Pages 151-156
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE62-A26052
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The influence of plutonium as a fuel constituent on burner reactor behavior is examined. Both the SM-1 and the Shippingport seed lattices are investigated. It is found that the decrease in the effective absorption cross section of Pu240 with fuel burnup gives the plutonium the characteristic of a self-compensating fuel, thereby leading to the extension of core life with minimum shim control requirements. The illustrated behavior is similar to that which was previously shown to be possible for converter-type reactors (1).
