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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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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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|Reactor Design and Analysis
Tuesday, April 23, 2024|10:15AM–12:00PM PDT|Franciscan C
Session Chair:
Ishita Trivedi (INL)
Alternate Chair:
Yan Cao (ANL)
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Comparative Analysis on the Passive Flow Rate Control in the Load-Follow Simulation for Holos-Quad Microreactor
10:15–10:35AM PDT
Sooyoung Choi (Univ. Michigan), Qicang Shen (Univ. Michigan), Claudio Filippone (HolosGen), Brendan Kochunas (Univ. Michigan)
Paper
Modeling Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Using Nodal Diffusion Codes with Jacobian-Free Newton Krylov Generated Correction Parameters
10:35–10:55AM PDT
Jacob Smith (Georgia Tech), Dan Kotlyar (Georgia Tech)
Concept Study of a Fission Fragment Propulsion Nuclear System
10:55–11:15AM PDT
Dacai Zhang (Tsinghua Univ.), Xirui Zhang (Tsinghua Univ.), Zhechuan Tan (Tsinghua Univ.), Yuanhao Gou (Tsinghua Univ.), Minzhi Xiong (Tsinghua Univ.), Ganglin Yu (Tsinghua Univ.)
Mass and Power Estimations of Moderated and Unmoderated HALEU Fueled Heat-Pipe Reactors for Space Applications
11:15–11:35AM PDT
Riccardo Boccelli (Politecnico di Milano), Marco E. Ricotti (Politecnico di Milano), Angelica Peressotti (Thales Alenia Space Italia), Stefano Lorenzi (Politecnico di Milano), Andrea D'Ottavio (Thales Alenia Space Italia)
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