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 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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
Dec 2025
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
December 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
November 2025
Latest News
Perpetual Atomics, QSA Global produce Am fuel for nuclear space power
U.K.-based Perpetual Atomics and U.S.-based QSA Global claim to have achieved a major step forward in processing americium dioxide to fuel radioisotope power systems used in space missions. Using an industrially scalable process, the companies said they have turned americium into stable, large-scale ceramic pellets that can be directly integrated into sealed sources for radioisotope power systems, including radioisotope heater units (RHUs) and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).
J. T. Thomas
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 62 | Number 3 | March 1977 | Pages 424-437
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE77-A26982
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A surface density model based on experimental and calculated criticality data is developed for finite water-reflected arrays and results in semiempirical analytic expressions describing criticality. The relations provide information on the reactivity associated with such perturbations to arrays as changes in unit shapes, cell volumes, array shapes, and array reflectors. Equivalence between different fissile materials in a critical array is defined. The surface density and density analog models are shown to be in correspondence when applied to the same data. The density analog model is expressible as f(N) = g(m)p-2. The functions f(N) and g(m) are explicitly given, and the constant exponent has general applicability.