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
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
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
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
Jean-Luc Palayer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Orano USA, Orano’s operations in the United States providing commercial and federal customers with global expertise in nuclear materials management. Jean-Luc is also serving as the interim President of TN Americas, an Orano USA subsidiary.
He oversees all five of Orano's business units in the United States, including MCES for sales of uranium fuel, conversion, and enrichment services; Orano Decommissioning Services for dismantling nuclear facilities; TN Americas offering the full breadth of used nuclear fuel management (pool to pad, storage, transportation, and ISFSI management); Orano Med for the development of medical isotopes for targeted immunotherapy for fighting cancer; and Orano Federal Services supporting the development of advanced reactors and offering the full complement of engineering and technology to solve some of the more complex nuclear material processing, conditioning, and packaging for the U.S. Department of Energy.
With more than 20 years in the nuclear industry, Jean-Luc’s international leadership experience includes nuclear materials transportation and storage, front-end material production and deliveries, supply chain optimization, and industrial project development in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
He began his career in 1999 with COGEMA (now part of Orano). In 2007, Jean-Luc was named Director of Business Analysis for AREVA Enrichment Services. In 2012, he served as Managing Director of AREVA Solar India and Vice-President of Operations for AREVA Solar Inc with the responsibility to lead construction projects in the United States and India. In 2015, he joined TN Americas (Orano TN) as Vice-President of Global Supply Chain and then as Chief Operating Officer, leading the project management organization, the nuclear manufacturing plants, and the field service business line.
Jean-Luc holds a Master of Engineering degree from École des Mines and an Executive MBA from Georgetown University.
Last modified June 26, 2024, 4:19pm EDT