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
Mar 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
April 2026
Latest News
NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
U. Kamachi Mudali, A. Ravi Shankar, R. Natarajan, N. Saibaba, Baldev Raj
Nuclear Technology | Volume 182 | Number 3 | June 2013 | Pages 349-357
Technical Paper | Reprocessing/Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-73
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Zirconium is highly resistant to nitric acid environments and is considered as a candidate material for various applications in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants involving concentrated nitric acid medium under highly corrosive oxidizing conditions. Zirconium is insensitive to intergranular corrosion in nitric acid unlike stainless steels of Type AISI 304L (304L SS), which is commonly used in reprocessing plants. Also, unlike titanium and its alloys, zirconium is not affected by the vapor and condensate phases of boiling nitric acid. Zirconium and its alloys are thus considered candidate materials for various applications in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants involving nitric acid of high concentrations at high temperatures. This paper discusses the international experience on zirconium for reprocessing plant applications and the consideration of Zircaloy-4 (Zr-4) for reprocessing plant applications based on the research and development work carried out at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research on Zr-4 as well as manufacturing of dissimilar joints between Zr-4 and 304L SS and a mock-up dissolver for fast breeder reactor reprocessing.