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
Apr 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
3D Printing Possibilities: Additive Manufacturing Impact Limiters for Transportation Casks
With the significant advances in additive manufacturing (AM), otherwise known as 3D printing, Orano Federal Services and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte recently re-examined the capabilities to print impact limiters for transportation casks used to ship spent nuclear fuel. Impact limiters protect transportation casks (sometimes also referred to as transportation overpacks) and their contents during an accident. Impact limiter designs must withstand testing based on a certain significance level of hypothetical accidents, including drops, crushing, fires, and immersion in water.
Mihály Makai, Zoltán Szatmáry
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 177 | Number 1 | May 2014 | Pages 52-67
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE12-97
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the Monte Carlo (MC) method, statistical noise is usually present, and it may become dominant in the calculation of a distribution, usually by iteration, but it is less important in calculating integrals. The subject of the present work is the role of statistical noise in iterations involving stochastic simulation (the MC method). Convergence is checked by comparing two consecutive solutions in the iteration. The statistical noise may randomize or pervert the convergence. We study the probability of convergence and the correct estimation of the variance in a simplified model problem. We also study the statistical properties of the solution to a deterministic problem with a stochastic source obtained from a stochastic calculation. There are iteration strategies resulting in nonconvergence or a randomly stopped iteration.