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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 15–18, 2026
Phoenix, AZ|Arizona Grand Resort & Spa
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
LLNL, Ampera partner to develop thorium-based TRISO fuel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has formed a strategic partnership with Ampera to develop the company’s nuclear fuel concept through a project named THUNDER, for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors.
The focus of THUNDER is fabricating TRISO made with kernels of thorium rather than the usual uranium. LLNL and Ampera will evaluate and optimize liquid metal–jetting technology to produce highly uniform, spherical kernels of thorium-232 for later processing into TRISO fuel.
G. Pierini, B. Spelta, S. Maffi, G. Modica, G. Perez, E. Possagno
Nuclear Technology | Volume 81 | Number 3 | June 1988 | Pages 415-420
Technical Paper | Radioisotopes and Isotope Separation | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A16062
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The exhaust plasma processing plant, proposed a few years ago as an alternative to the Tritium Systems Test Assembly plant in operation at Los Alamos National Laboratory, required further research in such areas as a low liquid inventory electrolytic cell and the types of separator or membrane resistant to beta radiation. Moreover, it was suggested that the value of the separation factors among H2, D2, and T2 should be checked during electrolysis at high D2O concentration in an alkaline medium by using different materials for the cathode. The results of experimental work carried out in these directions have shown the feasibility of the process, although some improvements can still be made in the optimization of the separators and in the design of the cell. The research carried out at the Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy, with support from other institutes, is described.