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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
How robust is HALEU from a nonproliferation perspective?
Shikha Prasad
High-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) has emerged as a popular fuel choice for advanced small modular reactors due to its long power production periods before refueling. It is currently being pursued by TerraPower, X-energy, BWX Technologies, Kairos, Oklo, and other reactor companies. HALEU has a uranium-235 enrichment ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent, whereas traditional LWRs use low-enriched uranium fuel enriched up to 5 percent.
HALEU will provide power for longer durations, compared with traditional LWRs. But could it also provide an opportunity for more rapid proliferation, as is speculated in a 2023 National Academy of Sciences report on advanced nuclear reactors (nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26630/)?
If a nuclear proliferator conspires to divert fresh nuclear fuel for weapons production when it has not been used in a reactor, the effort required in separative work units (SWUs) to enrich U-235 from 5 percent to 90 percent and that required to enrich from 20 percent to 90 percent are both very small, compared with the effort required to enrich U-235 from its natural abundance to the initial 5 percent.
Technical Session|Sponsored by Advanced/Novel Materials
Tuesday, December 12, 2023|1:00–2:40PM CST|Galerie 5
Session Chair:
Stephen S. Raiman (Univ. Michigan)
Alternate Chair:
Janelle P. Wharry (Purdue Univeristy)
Track Organizers:
Kevin Field (Univ. Michigan)
Grace Burke (Univ. Michigan)
Benjamin Sutton (Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI))
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Journal of Nuclear Materials Best Paper Award for 2022
1:00–1:40PM CST
Bin Cheng (Stony Brook Univ.), Edward M. Duchnowski (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), David J. Sprouster (Stony Brook Univ.), Lance L. Snead (Stony Brook Univ.), Nicholas R. Brown (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Jason R. Trelewicz (Stony Brook Univ.)
Paper
Hydrogen Barrier Coatings for High-Temperature Hydride Moderators
1:40–2:00PM CST
R.H. Bohanon (LANL), F.R. Caliari (Stony Brook Univ.), E. Garcia-Granados (Stony Brook Univ.), S. Sampath (Stony Brook Univ.), E.P. Luther (LANL), S.S. Raiman (Univ. Michigan)
Structural Examinations of Neutron-Irradiated Solid Yttrium Hydride Moderators
2:00–2:20PM CST
M. Nedim Cinbiz (INL), Chase N. Taylor (INL), Thomas Johnson (INL), Joey Charbonneau (INL), Ian Hobbs (INL), Jatuporn Burns (INL), Rafael Garcia (INL), Glen C. Papaioannou (INL), Aditya Shivprasad (LANL), Erik P. Luther (LANL)
Hydrogen Diffusion in Yttrium Hydride
2:20–2:40PM CST
Yuqing Huang (NCSU), Jacob Eapen (NCSU)
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