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
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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
26th Technology of Fusion Energy Meeting (TOFE 2024)
Kevin Freudenberg is technical director of engineering systems of US ITER, a multi-lab effort funded by U.S. Department of Energy to deliver U.S. contributions to the international ITER project.
In this role, he oversees analysis, central solenoid magnets, design integration, instrumentation and controls, plasma heating systems, vacuum auxiliary and roughing pump systems, the tokamak cooling water system, and the tokamak exhaust processing system. Additionally, he currently serves as interim technical director of plasma diagnostics and fueling systems.
Before joining US ITER in 2007, Kevin gained more than 20 years of experience in the design and analysis of experimental fusion energy research facilities and components and contributed to the engineering design of several facilities and devices.
In 2019, he was elected to the Fusion Technology Standing Committee of IEEE’s Nuclear & Plasma Sciences Society and has served as treasurer, sponsorship chair, and general chair for the group’s Symposium on Fusion Energy. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida.
Last modified May 20, 2024, 3:06pm CDT