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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.
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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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ANS Standards Committee publishes joint ASME/ANS standard for Level 1/large early release frequency PRA
ANSI/ASME/ANS RA-S-1.1-2024, Standard for Level 1/Large Early Release Frequency Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Nuclear Power Plant Applications, has been published by the American Nuclear Society. The document, which is a joint standard developed with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers by the ANS/ASME Joint Committee on Nuclear Risk Management, received the approval of the American National Standards Institute on February 29, 2024, and was issued on March 15, 2024.
Ezequiel Goldberg, Alejandro Soba
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 195 | Number 12 | December 2021 | Pages 1291-1306
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2021.1918939
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Various numerical models are developed that seek to reproduce, in a simulation instance, the formation and evolution of cracks in the claddings of nuclear fuel elements. The algorithms are based on the cohesive zone method within the finite element framework. When applied to simulations involving fracture mechanics, cohesive elements have various advantages, such as not needing to know the stress state in advance, representing the nucleation of the crack, and being able to reproduce the contact between the crack surfaces after fracture, with numerous application examples for ductile materials, including metals. The models developed were included in the DIONISIO 3.0 nuclear fuel code and compared with analytical test cases, controlled tests of nuclear materials, and a large set of experimental exercises with rods subjected to steep power ramps where breakages are caused due to contact with the pellets. Similarly, these new models were used in controlled experiments where the conditions of an accident type such as a loss-of-coolant accident are reproduced, analyzing the variation of the thermohydraulic, thermomechanical, and structural parameters of a rod.