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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
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2025
Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
W. M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas, E. A. Hoffman, G. P. Kessler, C. M. Kirby, A. N. Mauer, J. J. Noble, D. M. Stopp, D. S. Ulevich
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 41 | Number 2 | March 2002 | Pages 116-140
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST02-A207
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A design concept and the performance characteristics for a fusion transmutation of waste reactor (FTWR), a subcritical fast reactor driven by a tokamak fusion neutron source, are presented. The present design concept is based on nuclear, processing, and fusion technologies that either exist or are at an advanced stage of development and on the existing tokamak plasma physics database. An FTWR, operating with keff 0.95 at a thermal power output of ~3 GW and with a fusion neutron source operating at Qp = 1.5 to 2, could fission the transuranic content of ~100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel per full-power year and would be self-sufficient in both electricity and tritium production. In equilibrium, a nuclear fleet consisting of light water reactors (LWRs) and FTWRs in the electrical power ratio of 3/1 would reduce by 99.4% the actinides discharged into the waste stream from the LWRs in a once-through fuel cycle that must be stored in high-level waste repositories.