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Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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
Tuesday, May 10, 2022|1:30–3:30PM EDT|Calypso
Session Chair:
John Scott (NASA)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Leonard Dudzinski (NASA)
Four presentations from U.S. and international contributors, discussing reactor, thruster, and power conversion concepts.
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High Power Electric Propulsion Thruster Trades for a Nuclear Electric Propulsion-Based Human Mars Mission
Timothy Kokan (Aerojet Rocketdyne), C. Russell Joyner II (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Daniel J.H. Levack (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Dennis E. Morris (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Brian J. Muzek (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Rodney W. Noble (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Samuel Rapoport (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Christopher B. Reynolds (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Jakob Trescott (Aerojet Rocketdyne)
Paper
Conceptual Design of a Rotary Space Reactor with Naturally Circulating Water Driven by Centrifugal Force
Keigo Hasegawa (Tokyo City Univ.), Kazumasa Taneda (Tokyo City Univ.), Rikio Watanabe (Tokyo City Univ.), Naoyuki Takaki (Tokyo City Univ.)
Nuclear Electric Propulsion Brayton Power Conversion Working Fluid Considerations
Rodger Dyson (NASA Glenn Research Center), D. V. Rao (LANL), Matthew Duchek (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Christopher Harnack (Analytical Mechanics Assoc.), Robert Scheidegger (NASA Glenn Research Center), Lee Mason (NASA), Al Juhasz (NASA Glenn Research Center), Luis Rodriguez (NASA Glenn Research Center), Ronald Leibach (NASA Glenn Research Center), Steven Geng (NASA Glenn Research Center), Daniel Goodell (NASA Glenn Research Center)
Genetic Optimization of a Conversion System Based on a Rankine Cycle and its Heat Sink for a 1 MWe Space Nuclear Reactor
Carlos-Jesús Romero-Casado (CEA), Nicolas Rey-Tornero (CEA), Guillaume Campioni (CEA), Yannick Gorsse (CEA), Daniel Heuer (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Nicolas Jonqueres (CEA), Sébastien Le Martelot (CNES)
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