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 Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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
Jul 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
August 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
Masabumi Nishikawa
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 59 | Number 2 | February 2011 | Pages 350-362
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A11651
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The tritium balance in a D-T fusion power reactor to assure a self-sustainable tritium system is discussed in this paper, comparing the amount of tritium consumed in the fueling cycle including the plasma vessel with the amount of tritium generated in the blanket system. It is determined that recovering tritium from the redeposition layer is highly effective in achieving tritium balance. It is also known from this discussion that having a burning plasma with an overall burning efficiency >0.5% is needed to maintain tritium balance. A burning efficiency >3 to 4% is even better because the tritium balance increases. It is also known that a first-wall material having an overall trapping factor >0.005 or that having an overall permeation loss ratio >0.0001 is not desirable because the tritium loss at the plasma vessel becomes too large to maintain the tritium balance. This discussion also finds that a blanket system with an overall breeding ratio of [approximately]1.1 is desirable early in fusion development to maintain a short tritium doubling time.