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
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Aug 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
No impact from Savannah River radioactive wasps
The news is abuzz with recent news stories about four radioactive wasp nests found at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The site has been undergoing cleanup operations since the 1990s related to the production of plutonium and tritium for defense purposes during the Cold War. Cleanup activities are expected to continue into the 2060s.
Helmuth Boeck
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 80 | Number 4 | April 1982 | Pages 720-723
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE82-A18982
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A self-powered neutron detector (SPND) was developed and tested in a 250-kW TRIGA Mark II reactor, using 93% 235U-enriched uranium as emitter material. Contrary to conventional SPNDs where the charge transfer from emitter to collector is performed by electrons, the present detector current originates in the transfer of highly ionized fission fragments through a very thin insulation layer. The theoretical evaluations indicated a detector sensitivity increase of a factor of 100 compared with a commercial cobalt detector together with such other advantages as the same spectral response and the same burnup characteristics as the reactor fuel.