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
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
Powering the future: How the DOE is fueling nuclear fuel cycle research and development
As global interest in nuclear energy surges, the United States must remain at the forefront of research and development to ensure national energy security, advance nuclear technologies, and promote international cooperation on safety and nonproliferation. A crucial step in achieving this is analyzing how funding and resources are allocated to better understand how to direct future research and development. The Department of Energy has spearheaded this effort by funding hundreds of research projects across the country through the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). This initiative has empowered dozens of universities to collaborate toward a nuclear-friendly future.
L. B. Freeman, B. R. Beaudoin, R. A. Frederickson, G. L. Hartfield, H. C. Hecker, S. Milani, W. K. Sarber, W. C. Schick
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 102 | Number 4 | August 1989 | Pages 341-364
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE89-A23647
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The light water breeder reactor (LWBR) operated at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station from 1977 to 1982, serving the electric power grid for the Greater Pittsburgh area. The LWBR was a pressurized water reactor (PWR) with several unique features: It was designed and proved to be a breeder with an end-of-life fissile fuel content ∼1.3% greater than beginning of life; the reactor used the 233U-Th fuel system; and it had a large Doppler coefficient, low reactivity worth of transient xenon, and a significant reactivity effect from transient 233Pa. There were no control rods or soluble poison, and reactivity was controlled by movable fuel. Core operations went extremely well. The design lifetime of 18 000 effective full-power hours was exceeded by 60% by utilizing a gradual reduction in power level. The overall capacity factor was 65%. Physics experiments showed good agreement with predictions of movable fuel reactivity worth, most temperature coefficients, breeding, power distribution, and xenon stability. Unexpected results occurred in measurements of flow coefficient of reactivity, zero power temperature coefficients early in life, and bred fissile fuel distribution. The LWBR technology has demonstrated that water-cooled breeder reactors can operate in existing water power plants much like conventional PWRs.