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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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!
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Nuclear Technology
July 2025
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Latest News
Take steps on SNF and HLW disposal
Matt Bowen
With a new administration and Congress, it is time once again to ponder what will happen—if anything—on U.S. spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste management policy over the next few years. One element of the forthcoming discussion seems clear: The executive and legislative branches are eager to talk about recycling commercial SNF. Whatever the merits of doing so, it does not obviate the need for one or more facilities for disposal of remaining long-lived radionuclides. For that reason, making progress on U.S. disposal capabilities remains urgent, lest the associated radionuclide inventories simply be left for future generations to deal with.
In March, Rick Perry, who was secretary of energy during President Trump’s first administration, observed that during his tenure at the Department of Energy it became clear to him that any plan to move SNF “required some practical consent of the receiving state and local community.”1
Jean-Pierre Bento, Tuomas Mankamo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 38 | Number 1 | April 1978 | Pages 126-134
Technical Paper | Low-Temperature Nuclear Heat / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT78-A16165
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new reactor concept, SECURE (Safe and Environmentally Clean Urban REactor), has been developed in a joint Finnish-Swedish design project. This reactor is operating at a low temperature, and it is intended for district heating purposes. The goal has been to design a reactor where the safety is based on built-in properties and to minimize dependence on engineered safety systems or operator action following abnormal occurrences. Choosing a pool reactor concept and placing the reactor in an underground rock cavern result in many safety advantages. Parallel to the design work, a safety review was carried out including the assessment of plant system reliability and identification of potential accident sequences. Environmental consequences due to both normal operation and even unlikely accidents were calculated to be minor. The proposed plant concept is assessed to result in a safety level that should make the siting of the plant near urban centers possible with minimal risks.
