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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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
July 2025
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Latest News
High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
Weiping Deng, Yanbin Zhang, Huan Jia, Tao Wan, Weifeng Yang, Chengwen Qiang, Long Li, Fei Wang, Honglin Ge, Fei Ma, Xueying Zhang
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 196 | Number 7 | July 2022 | Pages 899-909
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2027177
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A granular flow target coupled with a beam window was studied. The beam window isolates the accelerator from the target, making the system more secure and flexible. Preliminary analyses for the beam window and beam tube, including neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and structural mechanics were performed by Geant4 and ANSYS. The effects of geometry and coolant flow direction on the temperature field and the stress distribution of the beam window are studied. The results show that the maximum temperature can be reduced by 13% through optimization. Comparing the thermal deposition distribution of the beam tube with and without the beam window, we find that there is an extra peak due to the beam window. In addition, the effect of the cooling pattern on the temperature distribution of the beam tube is also studied. The results show that it is reasonable to arrange six U-shaped cooling channels. Detailed analyses show that the material temperature and the mechanical property of the beam window and beam tube meet the design standards, which confirm the possibility of granular flow target with a beam window for engineering application.
