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Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
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
NRC updating GEIS rule for new nuclear technology
The Nuclear Regulatory Agency is issuing a proposed generic environmental impact statement (GEIS) for use in reviewing applications for new nuclear reactors.
In an April 17 memo, NRC secretary Carrie Safford wrote that the commission approved NRC staff’s recommendation to publish in the Federal Register a proposed rule amending 10 CFR Part 51, “Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions.”
Ashlea V. Colton, Blair P. Bromley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 196 | Number 1 | October 2016 | Pages 1-12
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT16-70
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Thorium, a fertile nuclear fuel that is nearly three times as abundant as uranium, represents a long-term energy source that could complement uranium and eventually replace it. With the expected refurbishment and new construction of pressure tube heavy water reactors (PT-HWRs) within the international community, there is an opportunity to gain experience with thorium-based fuels and to start the transition toward the use of thorium as part of the nuclear fuel cycle.
This paper presents an evaluation of fuel types that could be implemented in the near-term to transition into thorium-based fuels in current PT-HWRs. The near-term fuel consists of small amounts of thorium (in a traditional 37-element fuel bundle that is mostly filled with natural uranium or slightly enriched uranium). In addition, a modified 37-element fuel bundle type comprised of slightly enriched uranium fuel (1.2 wt% 235U/U or less), a thorium central element, and the mass equivalent of 1-cm thorium end pellets was studied. Both lattice physics depletion simulations and full-core time-averaged neutron diffusion simulations were carried out to evaluate the performance and safety characteristics of the different studied full-core configurations.
The results demonstrate that adding small amounts of thorium into the fuel of a 37-element bundle is feasible, through enrichment, without reducing power in the reactor or incurring a severe burnup penalty. The most viable core configuration is a core filled with modified 37-element fuel containing slightly enriched uranium dioxide with 1.2 wt% 235U/U. Even with the addition of 1.2 kg of thorium metal to the bundle, significant gains are achieved, including an increased margin to maximum bundle power limit of 40 kW and a 50% increase in fissile utilization.