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 Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2024
Latest News
From South Korea to Belgium: Testing a high-density research reactor fuel
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has developed a high-density uranium silicide fuel designed to replace high-enriched uranium in research reactors. Recent irradiation tests appear to be successful, KAERI reports, which means the fuel could be commercialized to continue a key global nuclear nonproliferation effort—converting research reactors to run on low-enriched uranium fuel.
N. Bekris, M. Sirch
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 62 | Number 1 | July-August 2012 | Pages 50-55
Hydrogen/Tritium Behavior | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials, Part A: Fusion Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A14111
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Among the various getter materials the interalloy ZrCo has been selected by the ITER team as the reference material for the storage of hydrogen isotopes at the tritium plant because of its excellent getter properties, which are comparable to those of uranium. Only certain conditions, such as the presence of high partial pressure of H2 at relatively low temperatures (350°C to 400°C), or during repeated hydrogen absorption-desorption heat cycles, have been a matter of concern, because under these conditions ZrCo can lose its gettering properties. Indeed, under repetitive loading/deloading cycling, the getter hydride (ZrCoH3) tends to disproportionate, i.e., to convert into ZrH2 and ZrCo2 and thus show a significant performance degradation of its gettering properties. Disproportionation is a major drawback as it fixes almost irreversibly part of the hydrogen (hence, tritium) into a ZrH2 form.To understand the underlying mechanism leading to the disproportionation, a detailed investigation has been undertaken. Using thermal analytical methods and based on crystallographic considerations, we came to the conclusion that the driving force for such disproportionation has to be attributed to the hydrogen occupation (taking place during the hydridation) of the various crystallographic sites available to it. During the hydridation process [approximately]4% of hydrogen goes into the less-stable 8f2 and 8e sites, where the Zr-H distance is shorter than the ZrH2 distance. Therefore, during the dehydridation process these sites are not releasing the hydrogen, but rather they are generating the very stable ZrH2, thus leading to the partial disproportionation of the material.Therefore, we may conclude that ZrCo it is not adequate for the storage of tritium and other hydrogen isotopes within the tritium plant of ITER, and consequently, we would not recommend it for such use.