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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
Framatome, KHNP to investigate producing Lu-177 in South Korea
Framatome and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibility of producing the medical isotope Lutetium-177 at KHNP’s Wolsong nuclear power plant in South Korea. The companies also will investigate the feasibility of using the plant to support Korean production of medical radioisotopes in the future.
Challenge: Close the nuclear fuel cycle.
How: Firmly establish the pathway that leads to closing the nuclear fuel cycle to support the demonstration and deployment of advanced fission reactors, accelerators, and material recycling technologies to obtain maximum value while minimizing environmental impact from using nuclear fuel.
Background: Addressing nuclear waste disposal and closing the nuclear fuel cycle would have many significant public benefits. It must be commensurate with the design of any emerging commercial nuclear products. Reducing the stockpiles of used nuclear fuel and excess stocks of highly-enriched uranium would significantly reduce the worldwide potential for proliferation of nuclear materials. The costs and maintenance of large independent spent fuel storage facilities would be greatly minimized, saving billions of dollars in waste storage and associated security costs. Additionally, it would include streamlined government regulations and permit expedited regulatory reviews, certification, and licensing for advanced reactors. Furthermore, it would enable enhanced public support for nuclear technologies and increased governmental funding for the development of advanced high-level waste-burning reactors.
Adoption of an advanced reactor-based nuclear waste disposal solution through closing the nuclear fuel cycle would enable advanced reactors to burn remaining inventories of used nuclear fuel that are currently stored at commercial and government nuclear facilities to produce significant amounts of electricity. Nuclear waste would be minimized, eliminating the need for large waste disposal facilities. Concepts, in addition to reactor solutions, would also be possible and developed, such as innovative and safe approaches utilizing Accelerator Driven Systems. These systems remove the long-term radiotoxicity of spent fuel, generate energy to recover its cost, eliminate the need for a large geological repository, and avoid the use of fuel reprocessing steps.
The current approach to the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle was formulated for reasons that are less convincing to many than they may have seemed generations ago. This has left the nuclear industry highly vulnerable to a stalled nuclear waste disposal pathway. The "most promising" fuel cycles very well could be the fuel cycle families identified in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Cycle Options Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation and Screening Study report series (fuelcycleevaluation.inl.gov). This evaluation and screening work evaluated the breadth of fuel cycle options available in the context of nine evaluation metrics (waste management, proliferation risk, material security risk, safety, environmental impact, resource utilization, development and deployment risk, institutional issues, and financial risk/economics).
Last modified May 12, 2017, 1:22am CDT