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 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
NRC issues draft EA/FONSI for Duane Arnold restart
Efforts by NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant as early as 2029 continue to move forward with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's preliminary environmental assessment and determination that the restart would have no significant environmental impacts.
On Thursday, the NRC posted a draft environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact for the Palo, Iowa, facility; the Federal Register notice was published on Monday. The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing is a cooperating agency on the draft EA, as the DOE is considering providing financial assistance to the restart project.
Yingwu Jiang, Fuhao Ji, Xiaoqiu Ye, Muyi Ni
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 81 | Number 7 | October 2025 | Pages 741-754
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2476855
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) is gaining recognition as a promising technology for hydrogen isotope separation in future fusion reactors, owing to its low cost, strong separation efficiency, and rapid operational throughput. This process capitalizes on the temperature-dependent interaction between palladium and hydrogen isotopes, enabling separation through cyclic temperature variations. However, the intricate interplay of multiple influencing factors has hindered the determination of optimal operational conditions for maximum efficiency. To address this challenge, this study developed a conservation model incorporating mass, energy, and momentum balance equations to simulate the behavior within the separation column. The model was implemented and numerically solved using the partial differential equation module in COMSOL Multiphysics. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis of key operational parameters revealed that an optimal operating temperature of approximately 0°C, along with an increased feed ratio of up to 0.3, significantly enhances separation efficiency during the initial feed stage. Furthermore, results obtained under full reflux operational conditions indicated that improved gas transfer dynamics between the plug flow reverser and the separation column considerably boost hydrogen isotope separation. Additionally, material properties such as the porosity of the separation medium and the palladium loading ratio were found to critically influence separation performance. These dynamic simulation results offer insights for optimizing the production technique and deepening the understanding of the separation mechanism.