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
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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.
Charles E. Ahlfeld, David A. Dilling, Kazuyuki Ishimoto, Susan Stoner, Eiichi Tanaka
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 611-617
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963006
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) design has evolved to a level of maturity that has enabled the building designers to define the major dimensions and characteristics of the cluster of buildings that contain the tokamak and adjacent support equipment. Three-dimensional building models developed in a CATIATM database provide the framework for the equipment layout.
This paper describes the preliminary layout of all major pieces of equipment, large bore pipes, ducts, busbars and other services. It is anticipated that some features of the layout will change as equipment design is advanced and future decisions are made, but these changes are not expected to alter the basic building design and any necessary changes are facilitated by the 3-D CATIA™ models.
Accommodating the initial assembly and major maintenance (disassembly) scenarios of the tokamak significantly influenced the design solutions selected. Major maintenance considerations also provide conceptual feasibility for decommissioning activities. Equipment access and removal pathways for all equipment that must be replaceable have been provided in the buildings for both non-radioactive and radioactive or contaminated components.
Extensive shielding studies have led to inherent and engineered protective measures for workers and equipment. Building ventilation systems are designed such that contaminated atmospheres may be isolated, recirculated, filtered and detritiated, with ultimate release through a tall exhaust stack.
Because the ITER site may not be known before 1998, the building and equipment designs have been configured so they can be adapted to potentially more demanding site-specific conditions such as higher seismicity, winds, aircraft impact and extreme low temperatures without requiring major redesign. A solid starting point for the detailed design work that must be completed in the next two years has been established. Continued collaboration between the ITER Joint Central Team and the Four Party Home Teams will provide the fully integrated engineering design for future decisions on the construction of ITER.
