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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Rene Sanchez, John Bounds, David Hayes, Travis Grove, Fredrik Tovesson
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 162 | Number 3 | July 2009 | Pages 253-260
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE162-253
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The diffusion processes of neutrons in Lucite have been investigated. The mechanisms for these processes have been described as having two steps. In the first step, the fast neutrons collide with the nuclei of Lucite, losing energy until they reach thermal energies. In the second step of the diffusion process, the thermal neutrons continue to diffuse through the Lucite without any significant loss of energy until they are finally absorbed or leak out of the system. Experiments were performed to study these two processes and to estimate the absorption cross section in Lucite. The experiments yielded an average range of 6.3 ± 0.1 cm for fast neutrons slowing down to thermal energies and a thermal absorption cross section in Lucite of 0.52 ± 0.02 b.