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
Fuel Cycle & Waste Management
Devoted to all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle including waste management, worldwide. Division specific areas of interest and involvement include uranium conversion and enrichment; fuel fabrication, management (in-core and ex-core) and recycle; transportation; safeguards; high-level, low-level and mixed waste management and disposal; public policy and program management; decontamination and decommissioning environmental restoration; and excess weapons materials disposition.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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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May 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
June 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
Technical Session|Panel|Sponsored by OPD
Tuesday, June 18, 2024|1:00–2:45PM PDT|Jasmine C
Session Chair:
Aladar Csontos
Alternate Chair:
Koroush Shirvan
Session Organizer:
Nuclear energy produces more carbon-free electricity than any other source, accounting for ~20% of U.S. electricity generation. With the net-zero emission goals of the upcoming decades, there is a consensus and recognition of the vital importance in continual operation of existing reactor fleet. Over the last 25 years, the U.S. NRC has approved over 130 power-uprates for the existing fleet ranging from ~0.5-20%. Recent developments have reopened the potential for additional power uprates, e.g. NRC exemption requests and rulemaking for higher enriched fuels and state Zero Emission Credits (ZECs) and federal Production Tax Credits (PTCs) through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The ZECs and PTCs incentivize utilities to generate more carbon-free electricity from the existing fleet which significantly alters the economics of nuclear generation. Both the PTCs and lifting of the 5% enrichment barrier make the potential for power uprates and thereby, plant life extensions through increased revenues, much more likely and economically viable. The panel overviews the opportunities and technical characteristics of power uprate. In particular, summary of recent reports and workshop led by Idaho national lab and EPRI will be overviewed.
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