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
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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.
Musharaf Rabbani, Anthony Busigin, Haiqin Mao, Nisa Halsey, Dayna La Barbera
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 3 | May 2024 | Pages 340-350
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2224315
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the combined electrolysis and catalytic exchange (CECE) process, the electrolyzer produces both hydrogen and oxygen streams. Hydrogen is typically fed to the bottom of the liquid-phase catalytic exchange column. The oxygen stream, however, is processed and afterward is either fed back to the trickle bed recombiner in heavy water detritiation or released to the exhaust stack in light water detritiation. This paper discusses the handling of the oxygen stream both in heavy and light water detritiation CECE processes. Oxygen leaving the electrolyzer has a trace amount of tritium gas in it as well as water vapor (due to diffusion across the membrane). Trace tritium is converted to vapor using a catalytic converter and then either scrubbed using an oxygen vapor scrubber or captured in a dryer bed. This study analyzes and compares the different options for handling the oxygen stream in a CECE process.