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
Jun 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
Breaking ground on a new approach to construction
The drive to Kairos Power’s reactor demonstration site in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is not only scenic—it’s historic. Nearly 85 years ago, roughly 30,000 construction workers transformed orchards and farmland into a key Manhattan Project site. Depending on your route, you may pass by one of the three gatehouses that were once military checkpoints controlling access to Atomic Energy Commission production facilities.
Richard M. Bidwell
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 18 | Number 4 | April 1964 | Pages 426-434
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE64-A18760
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Chemical behavior of fission products is predicted for a “dynamic core” fast reactor, where the fuel is pumped through an outside loop by the coolant. For a 7.5 at % Pu/25 at % Co/67.5 at % Ce alloy, the various fission products are classified as sodium-extractable, fuel-soluble, precipitating, and rare gases. Evidence predicting the behavior of each class is presented. The rates of extraction of removable fission products are estimated for different modes of operation. Extractable fission product atoms are expected to remain in the fuel phase for only a few seconds. Sixty percent of all of the fission product atoms formed remain in solution in the fuel phase, and occupy a volume (∼35% of that of all fission products) roughly equal to that of the Pu consumed. The consumption of the initial inventory of Pu would require the gradual addition of 110% of the original amount of Pu, of which 3% is required to compensate for poisoning. The effective chemical composition of the fuel would be little changed during “100% burn-up.” A dynamic-core fast reactor can be operated for several years as a continuous chemical system at an economic burn-up rate.