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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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
NEA report calls for more accurate data on SNF heat decay
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency has issued a report calling for more-detailed information on tracking the decay heat of spent nuclear fuel from light water reactors. According to the NEA, the report highlights the increasing importance of accurate decay heat estimations due to evolving fuel characteristics, including higher initial fuel enrichment, increased burn-up rates, and extended reactor cycle lengths.
The report, Summary of the NEA Assessment on Spent Nuclear Fuel Decay Heat for Light Water Reactors, summarizes the findings of a subgroup of the NEA’s Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS), which ran from January 2022 to January 2024.
Executive Session|Panel
Monday, June 13, 2022|1:00–2:45PM PDT|Pacific A
Session Chair:
Sven Bader
Session Organizer:
Fossil uranium is often separated into at least two categories, such as low-enriched uranium (LEU, with <20% U-235), and high-enriched uranium (HEU, with >20% U-235). Occasionally, LEU is further split into categories such as LEU+ (5-10% U-235) and high-assay LEU (10-20% U-235). However, plutonium never appears to be sub-divided into sub-categories, regardless of whether it is, for example, reactor-grade or weapons-grade plutonium. This panel will discuss the pros and cons of potentially dividing plutonium into sub-categories of importance (similar to uranium) and the potential to develop an ANS position statement support this position.
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