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
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Securing the advanced reactor fleet
Physical protection accounts for a significant portion of a nuclear power plant’s operational costs. As the U.S. moves toward smaller and safer advanced reactors, similar protection strategies could prove cost prohibitive. For tomorrow’s small modular reactors and microreactors, security costs must remain appropriate to the size of the reactor for economical operation.
Mervi J. Mantsinen, R. Rainer E. Salomaa
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 33 | Number 3 | May 1998 | Pages 237-251
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A30
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A time-dependent, volume-averaged particle and power balance code is used to investigate reactivity transients during tokamak startup and after sudden changes in the plasma confinement, fueling rates, and impurity concentrations in deuterium-tritium (D-T) and D-3He fusion reactors. For a given H-mode factor fH relative to the ITER89-P scaling law, a very narrow range of = part*/E values, limited by quenching of the fusion burn due to ash accumulation and by exceeding operational limits, is found to sustain steady fusion burn. The dependence of the large power overshoot taking place shortly after ignition due to ash accumulation on the assumed and fH is examined. To alleviate the excessive external heating power requirements for D-3He-reactor startup, schemes utilizing D-T fusion reactions are considered. Because of power transients of several hundreds of megawatts in reactors operating at a gigawatt level of fusion power, triggered by very small changes in the plasma confinement (