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
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
Advanced Reactor Safety (ARS) SPeaker
Dennis is a Consulting Engineer in GE Hitachi (GEH) Nuclear Energy, with over 42 years of Risk and Safety Analysis experience and 18 years at GEH. He technically oversees the PRAs for the BWRX-300, Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), and Natrium Reactors, and was the Technical Lead for the UK ABWR and PRISM PRAs. Prior to working for GEH, Dennis worked for 10 years as a nuclear utility PRA Engineer (Duke and San Onofre) and 14 years as a contractor/consultant. Dennis has authored or co-authored more than 150 publications, including the recently issued IAEA Safety Report 96 on Multi-unit PRA, and is currently supporting the development of an IAEA TECDOC on Multi-Hazard Assessments.
Dennis is being inducted into 2024 class of the National Academy of Engineering. Dennis is the ANS-Chairman of the ANS/ASME Joint Committee on Nuclear Risk Management (JCNRM), is a member of the ANS Standards Board, and has supported PRA standard development since 1999. Dennis was awarded the ANS Theos “Tommy” Thompson award for outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear reactor safety, October 2020, and is an ANS Fellow. Dennis received his MS and BS in Nuclear Engineering from University of Florida.
Last modified April 2, 2024, 6:03am PDT
