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
Mar 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2024
Latest News
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
J. E. Klein
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 67 | Number 2 | March 2015 | Pages 416-419
Proceedings of TRITIUM 2013 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-T42
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The reduction in hydride absorption rate due to ”blanketing” can be explained in terms of a reduced hydrogen partial pressure in the bed due to the accumulation of inerts (i.e. non-hydrogen isotopes) in the bed void volume. Literature results show reduced absorption rates when protium for bed absorption contains helium with low-end inert compositions in the 0.6 to 1% range. A hydride bed containing 9.66 kg of LaNi4.25Al0.75 (LANA0.75) metal hydride - a nominal capacity of 1400 STP-L, was cycled repeatedly to decrepitate the hydride material into smaller particles for bed strain measurement. The hydride cycles added and removed nominally 1000 to 1100 STP-L of protium per hydride cycle. Consistent and repeatable absorptions results were observed for different absorption cycles. During one of the absorption tests, slower absorption results were obtained due to the use of typical grade (500 ppm inerts), instead of research grade, protium which blanketed the bed. The impact of 0.05% inerts in protium on bed absorption rate is shown and explained in terms of an increase in inert partial pressure as the bed was loaded.