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 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Front-end nuclear fuel supply cooperation: Turning allied interdependence into strategic advantage
The global nuclear revival, which is fueled by unprecedented demand for firm, affordable, dispatchable power for artificial intelligence and data center build-out, energy security imperatives, and climate commitments, has exposed a structural reality of the Western fuel cycle: No single allied nation currently possesses the full suite of front-end capabilities. From mining through conversion, enrichment, fabrication, and the emerging deconversion and metallization steps required for reactor fuels, capability is distributed across Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States (collectively, the “Sapporo Five”), as well as a small group of close partners.
Sanjay Gupta, Feroz Ahmed, Suresh Garg
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 125 | Number 3 | March 1997 | Pages 362-370
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE97-A24281
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Results are reported for the space-dependent neutron spectra and tritium breeding ratio (TBR) in a proposed Li + C blanket of a deuterium-tritium fusion reactor. The multigroup diffusion equation is solved as an eigenvalue problem for three concentrations of lithium in graphite. The effect on the value of TBR of increasing the fraction of low-energy neutrons in a completely thermalized source is studied. A comparison of neutron spectra as obtained in the Li + C and 3He + C systems is also made. The results show that TBR increases with the concentration of lithium in graphite as well as with the fraction of low-energy neutrons in the source. [Essentially the same value of TBR (= 0.277) is obtained for the Li + C system with a lithium to graphite concentration of 4 x 10-2 as for a 3He + C system with a natural density of 3He.] Moreover, TBR attains an almost constant value for assembly thicknesses greater than -20 cm. Also, if a source with an increased fraction of low-energy neutrons is used, the effect is more pronounced in the 3He + C system for the range of lithium concentrations considered.