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
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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.
Gaston Kayser, Jean Charpenel, Claude Jamond
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 128 | Number 2 | February 1998 | Pages 144-185
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE98-A1950
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The SCARABEE-N in-pile tests were performed between 1983 and 1990. Their main objective was to study the consequences of a hypothetical total instantaneous blockage (TIB) at the entrance of a liquid-metal reactor subassembly at full power. After 14 tests, mainly with fresh fuel, this accident scenario may be fairly well described. It has been shown that no violent, energetic fuel/coolant interactions take place, that almost no fuel is ejected out of the fissile zone, and that the melt penetration into the neighboring subassemblies proceeds rapidly. Progress has been made on understanding the behavior of mixed boiling pools, and hexcan melt-through thresholds can be established.Codes have been developed (PHYSURA-GRAPPE and SURFASS), and SCARABEE-N tests have been used to help in the evaluation of others (SIMMER II and SABRE). Interesting information for other accident situations has been made available, especially for the transition phase.Concerning the specific case of the TIB accident, it has been shown that the evolution of the molten zone can be represented by calculations in which energy equations play the essential role. For a Superphénix-type subassembly, PHYSURA-GRAPPE and analytic calculations show that after ~30 s after the beginning of the blockage, there exists a serious risk of propagation beyond a 7-subassembly pool. This can be prevented only by an adequate detection system leading to scram before this time.The SCARABEE-N program helped to solve the problem for which it was designed; moreover, it yielded scientific expertise for other areas and was a precious training ground for many safety scientists and engineers. It also showed the limits of so-called mechanistic models for very complex problems and the sustained usefulness of simple engineering reasoning.