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The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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!
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The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
O. K. Harling, K. J. Riley, T. H. Newton, B. A. Wilson, J. A. Bernard, L-W. Hu, E. J. Fonteneau, P. T. Menadier, S. J. Ali, B. Sutharshan, G. E. Kohse, Y. Ostrovsky, P. W. Stahle, P. J. Binns, W. S. Kiger III, P. M. Busse
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 140 | Number 3 | March 2002 | Pages 223-240
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE02-A2258
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new type of epithermal neutron irradiation facility for use in neutron capture therapy has been designed, constructed, and put into operation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR). A fission converter, using plate-type fuel and driven by the MITR, is used as the source of neutrons. After partial moderation and filtration of the fission neutrons, a high-intensity forward directed beam is available with epithermal neutron flux [approximately equal to]1010 n/cm2s, 1 eV E 10 keV, at the entrance to the medical irradiation room, and epithermal neutron flux = 3 to 5 × 109 n/cm2s at the end of the patient collimator. This is currently the highest-intensity epithermal neutron beam. Furthermore, the system is designed and licensed to operate at three times higher power and flux should this be desired. Beam contamination from unwanted fast neutrons and gamma rays in the aluminum, polytetrafluoroethylene, cadmium and lead-filtered beam is negligible with a specific fast neutron and gamma dose, D,fn/epi [less than or approximately equal] 2 × 10-13 Gy cm2/nepi. With a currently approved neutron capture compound, boronophenylalanine, the therapeutically advantageous depth of penetration is >9 cm for a unilateral beam placement. Single fraction irradiations to tolerance can be completed in 5 to 10 min. An irradiation control system based on beam monitors and redundant, high-reliability programmable logic controllers is used to control the three beam shutters and to ensure that the prescribed neutron fluence is accurately delivered to the patient. A patient collimator with variable beam sizes facilitates patient irradiations in any desired orientation. A shielded medical room with a large window provides direct viewing of the patient, as well as remote viewing by television. Rapid access through a shielded and automatically operated door is provided. The D2O cooling system for the fuel has been conservatively designed with excess capacity and is fully instrumented to ensure detection and control of off-normal conditions. A wide range of possible abnormal events or accident scenarios has been analyzed to show that even in the worst cases, there should be no fission product release through fuel damage. This facility has been licensed to operate by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and initial operation commenced in June 2000.