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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.
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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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February 2024
Latest News
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
S. Malang, M. Tillack, C. P. C. Wong, N. Morley, S. Smolentsev
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 249-256
In-Vessel Components - FW, Blanket, Shield & VV | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST10-212
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Liquid metal breeders such as Lithium or the eutectic Lead-Lithium alloy PbLi have the potential for attractive breeding blankets, especially if the liquid metal serves as breeder and coolant. However, cooling of first wall and blanket structure is a challenging task because the magnetic field degrades the heat transfer and can cause a really high pressure drop. To overcome these problems, dual coolant blankets with helium cooled FW/blanket structure and a self-cooled breeding zone had been proposed, with electrical insulation by ceramic-coatings or sandwich flow channel inserts. Such concepts are in principle simpler than helium cooled blankets, but the thermal efficiency is limited to ~35 % as in any helium cooled blankets with steel structure. A much higher efficiency up to about 45 % became feasible when the sandwich insulator was replaced by flow channel inserts (FCI) made of a SiC composite. This FCI serves as thermal insulator too, allowing an exit temperature of ~700° C, suitable for a BRAYTON cycle power conversion system.The subject of this paper is a description of the Lead-Lithium blanket development and the major improvements on the dual coolant Lead-Lithium (DCLL) blanket concept achieved in the US during the last 10 years.