ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Ukraine releases video of Russian “kamikaze” drones flying near nuclear plant
New reports allege Russia is flying kamikaze drones and firing small arms near the site of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Europe’s largest such facility, Zaporizhzhia has been under Russian control since 2022.
Rob P. Rechard, Lawrence C. Sanchez, Holly R. Trellue, Christine T. Stockman
Nuclear Technology | Volume 136 | Number 1 | October 2001 | Pages 99-129
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-3
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Modeling of nuclear criticality was omitted from performance assessment calculations for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a repository for waste contaminated with transuranic radioisotopes, located in southeastern New Mexico, based on arguments of low probability and low consequence. Low-probability arguments are presented here. Guidance provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - the regulator of WIPP - allowed either qualitative "credibility" arguments or quantitative probability estimates when screening features, events, and processes such as criticality. Although information to quantitatively evaluate the probability of a criticality event was mostly lacking, qualitatively reasoned discussion of the inability to assemble a critical configuration of fissile material was accepted by the EPA. Specifically, after disposal and prior to an inadvertent human intrusion into the repository, there is no credible mechanism to move radioisotopes (and particularly, fissile material) since only small amounts of brine enter the repository, as adequately demonstrated in calculations over the years. An inadvertent human intrusion (an event that must be considered because of safety regulations) might allow a large pressure gradient to move more brine through the repository, but there is still no credible mechanism to counteract the natural tendency of the material to disperse during transport. Unfavorable physical conditions on concentrating fissile material include low initial solid concentration of fissile material, small mass of fissile material transported over 10 000 yr, and insufficient physical compaction; unfavorable hydrologic conditions include the limited amount of brine available to transport fissile material. Unfavorable geochemical conditions on concentrating the fissile radioisotopes include lack of sufficient adsorption and water chemistry conducive to precipitation.