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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.
P. Chellapandi, S. C. Chetal, Baldev Raj
Nuclear Technology | Volume 172 | Number 1 | October 2010 | Pages 16-28
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT10-A10879
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A core disruptive accident, considered a beyond-design-basis accident, for the 500-MW(electric) capacity Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is analyzed using the FUSTIN in-house computer code. In order to have a good understanding of the complicated loading mechanisms and sequences, the analysis studies the effects of introducing internals in the main vessel. Further, the structural integrity of heat exchangers - which are important for decay heat removal during postaccident conditions - was demonstrated with tests that were conducted on a 1/13th scaled-down mock-up; a suitable low-density explosive was developed and characterized to simulate nuclear energy release characteristics. The tests have indicated relatively smaller displacements and strains in the vessel, compared to numerical predictions, and the structural integrity of the decay heat exchangers including tubes was demonstrated. Thus, the reactor assembly components meet the safety criteria specified for PFBR with comfortable margins for the specified mechanical energy release of 100 MJ.