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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
Robert A. Anderl, Robert J. Pawelko, Galen R. Smolik, Richard G. Castro
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 34 | Number 3 | November 1998 | Pages 738-744
Safety and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A11963702
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper presents the results of experiments and analyses to quantify the chemical reactivity of plasma-sprayed (PS) Be specimens exposed to steam. Test specimens with densities of 94% theoretical density (TD) and 92% TD were prepared by a low-pressure-plasma-spraying (LPPS) technique. Sample density, porosity and specific surface area were measured using immersion density and gas-adsorption techniques. Microstructural characterization was done using optical and electron microscopy. Hydrogen generation rates were obtained from tests of specimens in steam at temperatures from 350 to 1000°C. Below 700°C, hydrogen generation rates for the 94% TD material were somewhat higher than rates for 100% TD Be, but they were substantially lower than rates for the 92% TD Be and for previously tested PS-Be and porous Be. Reaction rate differences correlated with specific surface area differences for the materials tested.