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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
Yuto Takeuchi, Yasushi Yamamoto, Satoshi Konishi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 52 | Number 3 | October 2007 | Pages 756-760
Technical Paper | The Technology of Fusion Energy - Nonelectric Applications | doi.org/10.13182/FST07-A1581
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The paper proposes a conceptual design of hydrogen production system with unused biomass wastes and steam generated from high temperature nuclear power systems including fusion reactor. A reaction of interest is expressed as a formula, (C6H10O5)n + nH2O => 6nH2 + 6nCO, which is accompanied by a large quantity of endothermic reaction. Basic experiments have been made of thermal decomposition of cellulose, specimen as biomass resource, with the aid of high temperature steam of 1000 deg C heated by an infrared image furnace. The endothermic quantity was evaluated from a numerical model in which measured temperatures are employed. The numerical results for endothermic quantity agreed well with the theoretical value of 816 kJ/mol. To discuss the technical feasibility of the present process, the conceptual design of a hydrogen production reactor system of heat exchanger type was made with the numerical results and heat transfer correlations for helium and steam flow. The present biomass based process, producing both electricity and more hydrogen than other processes such as water or steam electrolysis using an equivalent quantity of heat source, is characterized as an efficient hydrogen production method using nuclear thermal energy, which simultaneously contributes to reduce biomass wastes.