ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
July 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Nagra publishes license applications for Swiss geologic repository
Nagra, Switzerland’s national cooperative for the disposal of radioactive waste, has published its general license applications for a deep geologic repository and separate spent fuel encapsulation plant, making the documents publicly available on a digital platform.
Florent Heidet, Ehud Greenspan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 181 | Number 2 | February 2013 | Pages 251-273
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors/Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A15782
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A preliminary feasibility study is performed for a sodium-cooled breed-and-burn (B&B) fast reactor core for achieving high uranium utilization without solid fission product separation that could fit within a reactor vessel of the dimensions of SuperPRISM (S-PRISM). This 1000-MW(thermal) B&B core is to be fueled with depleted uranium with the exception of the fissile loading required for achieving initial criticality. When the fuel reaches its radiation damage limit, it is reconditioned using the melt-refining process and reloaded into the core until it runs out of reactivity.It is found that the maximum burnup at which the S-PRISM-sized B&B core can be designed to discharge its fuel is 43% fissions per initial metal atom. The corresponding uranium utilization is nearly 90 times higher than that of a light water reactor. The achievable burnup strongly depends on the fuel volume fraction but is almost insensitive to the core power density, fuel-reconditioning frequency, and duration of the fuel-reconditioning process.