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Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
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
Nuclear Criticality Safety Division Topical Meeting (NCSD 2022)
Plenary and Panel Session
Monday, June 13, 2022|1:00–2:45PM PDT|Laguna A
The NCSD 2022 conference kicks off with an opening plenary designed to inspire and inform the past, current, and future generations of nuclear criticality safety professionals. Catherine Percher, the NCSD 2022 General Chair, will welcome everyone to the conference and provide an overview of what to expect during the week. The current ANS NCSD Chair, David Erickson, will provide an overview of the division, how it fits within the larger ANS, its focus on the ANS-8 series of standards, and the ways of getting involved. Angela Chambers, the Program Manager for the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) and the largest funder of NCS-related research in the US, will give an overview of the NCSP and the many products and services the program provides to the field of NCS. Julie-Fiona Martin, the secretariate for the Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety, will describe international NCS collaboration efforts that are supported by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Finally, the two winners of our speech contest will provide a prospective of working in the NCS field from two ends of the experience spectrum: Liam Payne, from Nuclear Waste Services in the UK, will share his experiences as a relative newcomer to NCS, and Larry Wetzel, from BWX Technologies, will share his experiences as a senior nuclear criticality safety engineer with many years of involvement in the field and the ANS NCSD.
The NCSD Opening Plenary will conclude with five Lightning Talks. The papers that accompany the Lighting Talks can be found in Monday's Technical Sessions program.
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