ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
PNNL seeks high-energy neutrons from SpaceX launch of Polaris Dawn
When a SpaceX rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on September 10 (see video here), sending a crewed commercial mission into low Earth orbit, an experiment designed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was onboard. Several high-purity metal samples will orbit Earth and absorb cosmic radiation for five days—including that from the Van Allen radiation belt—to help the lab answer questions about the radiation environment for manned space missions, according to a news release from PNNL.
Antti Räty, Merja Tanhua-Tyrkkö, Petri Kotiluoto, Tommi Kekki
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 196 | Number 6 | June 2022 | Pages 735-750
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2021.2011671
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
FiR 1 is a TRIGA Mark II-type research reactor in Finland. It was in operation between 1962 to 2015 and will be dismantled in 2022 to 2023. Preliminary calculations of the activities in the reactor main structures were performed in an earlier stage of the decommissioning project. Samples of the activated parts of the reactor biological shield concrete were drilled in December 2018 to validate these estimates. This paper describes the calculations and gamma activity measurements performed for the activated concrete samples to determine the boundary between radioactive parts and concrete that can plausibly be free-released from regulatory control. The activities have been estimated with a two-step calculation process using the MCNP and ORIGEN-S calculation codes and measurements using an ISOCS gamma spectrometer with a high-purity germanium detector.
