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 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
April 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
Diablo Canyon advocacy, Midwest nuclear legislation among April state news items
Pending, passed, and coveted legislation involving nuclear energy made their way across multiple state capitol buildings in the month of April. Here are a few notable updates from California, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri.
S. J. Altschuler, C. L. Schuske
Nuclear Technology | Volume 18 | Number 1 | April 1973 | Pages 55-62
Technical Note | Chemical Processing | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-A16107
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Several factors that influence the design and capacity of a fissile metal storage vault are the size and shape of individual storage units, surface density, double batching of storage units, the effects of personnel upon storage array reactivity, and the possibility of water flooding of arrays. Calculations indicate that when the fissile material is elevated 12 in. or more above the concrete floor of the vault, keff is decreased 4 to 5% when 3 in. of water is upon the concrete floor. The effect of personnel reflection upon the reactivity of an array is a strong function of the mass of a fissile unit as well as the shape and orientation of this fissile unit with regard to the reflector. For example, when a heavy flat plate of metal is held edgewise against the reflector, the value of keff is 0.804. When the plate is held flat against the reflector, keff is 1.115. A considerable penalty on storage capacity will occur if controls cannot be developed to preclude the double batching and water flooding.