ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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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.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2025)
May 4–8, 2025
Huntsville, AL|Huntsville Marriott and the Space & Rocket Center
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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May 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Sellafield waste vault yields 1960s-era finds
A 1960s Electrolux vacuum cleaner was among the more unusual items workers removed from one of the world’s oldest nuclear waste stores at the United Kingdom’s Sellafield nuclear site.
H. H. Toudeshki, F. Najmabadi, X. R. Wang, ARIES Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 64 | Number 3 | September 2013 | Pages 675-679
Test Blanket, Fuel Cycle, and Breeding | Proceedings of the Twentieth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE-2012) (Part 2) Nashville, Tennessee, August 27-31, 2012 | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-550
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As a part of ARIES-ACT research, we have been performing a detailed re-examination of requirements and design of vacuum vessels for fusion power plants. This paper discusses structural analysis performed in support of this examination. We have performed parametric 3-dimensional finite element analyses of ARIES-ACT-type vacuum vessels. The vacuum vessel structure is subjected to different types of loads such as atmospheric pressure, weight of the vessel itself and off-normal loads such as over-pressurization due to a leak in fusion core components, electromagnetic forces from disruptions, etc. Ribbed structure is considered in order to minimize the thickness of the vacuum vessel as well as to cool the system. We will discuss our results including structural response to various loads and trade-offs among structural design choices.
