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
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
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.
R. Stephen Devoto, William L. Barr, Richard H. Bulmer, Robert B. Campbell, Max E. Fenstermacher, Joseph D. Lee, B. Grant Logan, John R. Miller, Louis L. Reginato, R. A. Krakowski, Ronald L. Miller, Oscar A. Anderson, W. S. Cooper, Joel H. Schultz, James J. Yugo, Joel H. Fink, Yousry Gohar
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 2 | March 1991 | Pages 251-272
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29363
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The extensions of the physics and engineering guidelines for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) device needed for acceptable operating points for a steady-state tokamak power reactor are examined. Noninductive current drive is provided in steady state by high-energy neutral beam injection in the plasma core, lower hybrid slow waves in the outer regions of the plasma, and bootstrap current. Three different levels of extension of the ITER physics/engineering guidelines, with differing assumptions on the possible plasma beta, elongation, and aspect ratio, are considered for power reactor applications. Plasma gain Q = fusion power/input power in excess of 20 and average neutron wall fluxes from 2.3 to 3.6 MW/m2 are predicted in devices with major radii varying from 7.0 to 6.0 m and aspect ratios from 2.9 to 4.3. Only modest enhancements over L-mode (Goldston) energy confinement are required. Peak divertor heat fluxes range up to 12.4 MW/m2, which is somewhat higher than the current ITER design limit of 10 MW/m2 with a magnetically swept divertor. These designs were selected on the basis of improvements in physics/engineering consistent with time scales for development of future reactors. The design reoptimization on the basis of cost of electricity (COE) was then examined using a reactor systems model. This analysis generally verified the original estimates for the required extensions of the ITER guidelines. The COE is projected to be <66 mill/kW(electric) · h in all of the configurations. The smallest reactor, which has the largest neutron wall flux and mass power density, yields the lowest COE, 56 mill/kW(electric)· h. While these costs are marginally competitive with fission power, these modest extensions of the ITER guidelines do produce a viable power reactor. With time for further improvements such as those pursued in the ARIES study, similar designs could present an even more competitive commercial product.