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
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
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.
Saber Azam, Anil Kumar
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 17 | Number 3 | May 1990 | Pages 452-465
Technical Paper | Blanket Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST90-A29220
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The objective of the LOTUS experimental program, started in 1983, is to perform various integral neutronics measurements like neutron spectrometry, activation, and tritium breeding ratio (TBR) on fusion reactor blanket concepts. The first blanket concept studied at the LOTUS facility was the fission-suppressed type. Investigations of pure fusion blanket concepts constitute a logical continuation of this program. The new LOTUS fusion blanket concept employs a eutectic of lithium and lead, for example, 17L-83Pb, and lithium-metal as tritum breeders. The blanket consists of a first wall of low-activation ferritic steel, followed by zones of 17Li-83Pb, 6Li, and a reflector made of graphite or silicon carbide (SiC). The choice of structural material for each zone is based on its compatibility with the primary zonal component. Vanadium alloy (V-15 Cr-5 Ti), low-activation ferritic steel (Fe-11 Cr-2.5 W-0.3 V-0.15 C), and the same vanadium alloy were retained for 17Li-83Pb, 6Li, and graphite or SiC zones, respectively. One-dimensional ANISN calculations have been carried out for the optimization of the blanket dimensions. The main criteria for the optimization calculations are a TBR >1.1 and a compact blanket. An experimental module composed of lead and lithium pellets is proposed to simulate various eutectic compositions. Natural lithium, clad in aluminum, is used due to economic considerations. There are some important differences in the experimental module with respect to the optimized concept, which are mainly related to the location of the 14-MeV neutron source outside the blanket. Foil activation, TBR measurements using novel and conventional techniques, and spectrum measurements employing mini NE-213 and, possibly, NE-230 form the bulk of the experimental program.
