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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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Latest News
NRC cuts fees by 50 percent for advanced reactor applicants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced it has amended regulations for the licensing, inspection, special projects, and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal year 2025.
Takao Kawano, Yoichi Sakuma, Masatoshi Ohta, Toshiki Kabutomori, Mamoru Shibuya
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 41 | Number 3 | May 2002 | Pages 981-987
Purification and Chemical Process | Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Tritium Science and Technology Tsukuba, Japan November 12-16, 2001 | doi.org/10.13182/FST02-A22731
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method of decomposing hydrogen compounds was developed by employing a zirconium nickel (ZrNi) alloy. This method enables all tritium compounds (HTO, CH3T, C2H5T, etc.) in an exhaust gas to be decomposed into their respective elements, and the tritium itself to be removed in the form of hydrogen gas (HT). The method was developed through a series of experiments using methane. Using previous study results, a chemical reaction equation of methane decomposition on a ZrNi alloy is proposed and discussed. To ascertain the mechanism of methane decomposition on a ZrNi alloy, alloy samples were examined based on X-ray diffraction spectra and SEM electronographies before, during, and after the experiments. It was found that, as the decomposition time elapsed, peaks attributed to a pure ZrNi alloy gradually disappeared and new ones appeared in the X-ray spectra. The new peaks were attributed to the presence of ZrC, pure Ni, and a simple carbon substance. This indicates that the Zr in a carbon-bound alloy results in ZrC generation that releases Ni metal, and part of the C generated from the methane decomposition remains as a simple, as-grown substance. From these results, the decomposition reaction of methane using a ZrNi alloy can be represented by an equation involving the alpha value. The equation shows that one ZrNi molecule decomposes (1+ α) molecules of methane and generates 2(1+α) molecules of hydrogen. The alpha value was estimated based on the volume of decomposed methane and the weight of the ZrNi alloy used in the experiments. It is known that the alpha value is strongly dependent on the experimental conditions and can be used as an index to evaluate the decomposition condition.