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Division members promote the advancement of mathematical and computational methods for solving problems arising in all disciplines encompassed by the Society. They place particular emphasis on numerical techniques for efficient computer applications to aid in the dissemination, integration, and proper use of computer codes, including preparation of computational benchmark and development of standards for computing practices, and to encourage the development on new computer codes and broaden their use.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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Neutron Vision at Los Alamos: Exploring the Frontiers of Nuclear Materials Science
In materials science, understanding the unseen—how materials behave internally under real-world conditions—has always been key to developing new materials and accelerating innovative technologies to market. Moreover, the tools that allow us to see into this invisible world of materials have often been game-changers. Among these, neutron imaging stands out as a uniquely powerful method for investigating the internal structure and behavior of materials without having to alter or destroy the sample. By harnessing the unique properties of neutrons, researchers can uncover the hidden behavior of materials, providing insights essential for advancing nuclear materials and technologies.
Sunming Qin, Victor Petrov, Annalisa Manera
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 194 | Number 8 | August-September 2020 | Pages 583-597
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2020.1755805
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Results reported in the literature have shown that the turbulence models currently implemented in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) commercial codes (e.g., ANSYS-CFX, STAR-CCM+, and FLUENT) have a tendency to overestimate thermal stratification and underestimate turbulent mixing when buoyancy effects become dominant with respect to momentum effects. Also, standard large eddy simulation models cannot fully capture the behavior of jets interacting with stratified environments because the assumption of turbulence isotropy of the smaller scales breaks down. Because of light diffraction and image distortion, it is challenging to apply nonintrusive optical flow measurements, like particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), to get experimental data for CFD validations when there are density variances involved in the flow. However, a refractive index matching (RIM) technique that has been recently developed in our Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow Laboratory allows us to perform high-resolution measurements of velocity fields and scalar fields for turbulent buoyant jet flow in the presence of density differences as high as 8.6%.
To form a fully turbulent round free jet, an experimental facility was designed with a jet nozzle diameter of 2 mm, located at the bottom of a cubic tank with 30-cm side length. The jet flow is established by a servo-engine-driven piston to eliminate possible fluctuations introduced by the motor. A high-fidelity synchronized PIV/PLIF system was utilized in conjunction with RIM to measure the velocity and concentration fields in the self-similar regions of a jet flow with a density difference of 3.16% for aqueous solutions. With Reynolds numbers of 4000 and 10 000, the jet impinging with a two-layer stably stratified environment is compared to the positively buoyant jet with lighter fluid injected into denser surroundings. Detailed quantifications of the measurement uncertainties are also carried out. The experimental results are presented in terms of turbulent statistics and the analysis of jet penetration depths.