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 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2026
Nuclear Technology
January 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Godzilla is helping ITER prepare for tokamak assembly
ITER employees stand by Godzilla, the most powerful commercially available industrial robot available. (Photo: ITER)
Many people are familiar with Godzilla as a giant reptilian monster that emerged from the sea off the coast of Japan, the product of radioactive contamination. These days, there is a new Godzilla, but it has a positive—and entirely fact-based—association with nuclear energy. This one has emerged inside the Tokamak Assembly Preparation Building of ITER in southern France.
Stanley S. Glickstein, William H. Vance, Hansem Joo
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 121 | Number 1 | September 1995 | Pages 153-161
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE95-A24137
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Real-time neutron radiography is being evaluated for studying the dynamic behavior of two-phase flow and for measuring void fraction in vertical and inclined water ducts. This technique provides a unique means of visualizing the behavior of fluid flow inside thick metal enclosures. An air-water flow system was constructed to simulate vapor conditions encountered in a fluid flow duct Air was injected into the bottom of the duct at flow rates up to 0.47 /s (1 ft3/min). The water flow rate was varied between 0 and 3.78 /min (0 to 1 gal/min). The experiments were performed at the Pennsylvania State University nuclear reactor facility using a real-time neutron radiography camera. With a thermal neutron flux on the order of 106 n/cm2.s-1 directed through the thin duct dimension, the dynamic behavior of the air bubbles was clearly visible through 5-cm (2-in.)-thick aluminum support plates placed on both sides of the duct wall. Image analysis techniques were employed to extract void fractions from the data, which were recorded on videotape. This consisted of time averaging 256 video frames and measuring the gray level distribution throughout the region. The distribution of the measured void fraction across the duct was determined for various air-water mixtures. Details of the results of experiments for a variety of air and water flow conditions are presented.