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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
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver 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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Latest News
EnergySolutions to help explore advanced reactor development in Utah
Utah-based waste management company EnergySolutions announced that it has signed a memorandum of understating with the Intermountain Power Agency and the state of Utah to explore the development of advanced nuclear power generation at the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) site near Delta, Utah.
Alexandru Catalin Stafie, Jun Nishiyama, Toru Obara
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 199 | Number 2 | February 2025 | Pages 266-279
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2347716
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a practical core design for a lead-cooled, nitride fueled, rotational fuel shuffling breed-and-burn (RFBB) fast reactor. The core design is based on the Westinghouse Lead Fast Reactor (WH-LFR) and uses natural uranium nitride fuel with a sodium bond encased in oxide dispersion-strengthened steel cladding. Simulations confirmed the potential of the reactor to maintain criticality at the equilibrium state, with a reactivity swing of less than 200 pcm at every cycle interval and an average discharge burnup of 235 MWd/kg heavy metals (HM) for a 1050 effective full-power day refueling interval. Power profiles were maintained stable at the equilibrium state, while the cladding of the discharged fuel incurred over 650 displacements per atom over its entire residency in the core.
From a nonproliferation perspective, the plutonium vector for the discharge fuel aligns with reactor-grade fuel standards, with over a 70% concentration of 239Pu and over 22% 240Pu, reducing the risk of weaponization. The adopted control rod system has been shown to offer sufficient negative reactivity of over 19 $ to bring the reactor into a subcritical state. Challenges such as the susceptibility of neutron balance to material thickness and neutron leakage have been addressed, emphasizing the necessity for meticulous design improvements. A steady-state thermohydraulic analysis confirmed the heat removal capacity from the hottest channel, ensuring operational safety. This study confirmed the feasibility of the RFBB strategy for a lead-cooled nitride-fueled fast reactor and sets a precedent for future research in enhancing fuel utilization and safety in nuclear reactors.