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Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
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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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Glass strategy: Hanford’s enhanced waste glass program
The mission of the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is to complete the safe cleanup of waste resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development. One of the most technologically challenging responsibilities is the safe disposition of approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste historically stored in 177 tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
ORP has a clear incentive to reduce the overall mission duration and cost. One pathway is to develop and deploy innovative technical solutions that can advance baseline flow sheets toward higher efficiency operations while reducing identified risks without compromising safety. Vitrification is the baseline process that will convert both high-level and low-level radioactive waste at Hanford into a stable glass waste form for long-term storage and disposal.
Although vitrification is a mature technology, there are key areas where technology can further reduce operational risks, advance baseline processes to maximize waste throughput, and provide the underpinning to enhance operational flexibility; all steps in reducing mission duration and cost.
J. B. Yang, X. G. Tuo, Z. Li, Y. Cheng, L. Wang, H. H. Wang, B. Cai, M. Z. Liu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 184 | Number 2 | November 2013 | Pages 233-238
Technical Paper | Radiation Transport and Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A22318
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To improve the yield of online prompt gamma neutron activation analysis, the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) is used to simulate the computation and analysis of the material and thickness of reflectors on both sides of the sample chamber as well as the type and thickness of the neutron-absorbing material in front of the detector. The simulation shows that the optimal thickness of the reflecting material is [approximately]100 mm when heavy water is added on both sides of the sample chamber and the optimal thickness of the neutron-absorbing material is [approximately]50 mm when polyethylene-containing boron is added in front of the detector. The experiment demonstrated that the yield of prompt gamma rays of the main elements in the cement sample increased to some extent.