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
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
The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
J. A. Fooks, L. C. Carlson, P. Fitzsimmons, E. Giraldez, D. N. Kaczala, M. Wei, N. Alexander, M. P. Farrell, J. Betcher, A. Harvey-Thompson, T. Nagayama
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 73 | Number 3 | April 2018 | Pages 423-433
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1389605
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion experimental campaign conducted at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics has evolved significantly since its start in 2014. Scientific requirements and OMEGA Extended Performance (EP) system technology both have progressed, resulting in necessary and available updates to the target design. These include, but are not limited to, optimizing target dimensions and aspect ratios to maximize survival at desired pressures; coating target components to improve physics diagnosis; precision-machining diagnostic windows along the axis of the target for enhanced diagnostic views; improving fiducial placement reproducibility and reducing subsequent assembly time by 50%; and implementing gas-pressure transducers on the targets. In addition, target fabrication techniques have changed and advanced, allowing for better target reproducibility and decreased assembly time. To date, 11 variations of targets have been fabricated, with successful target fielding ranging from 1- to 20 atm internal pressure and a maximum survivability of 33 atm.