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.
Thomas R. Boyle, Robert V. Tompson, Sudarshan K. Loyalka, Tushar K. Ghosh, Michael L. Reinig, Jr.
Nuclear Technology | Volume 183 | Number 2 | August 2013 | Pages 149-159
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors/Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A18108
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Very high temperature reactors (VHTRs) and high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) can develop extreme temperatures in excess of 900°C that make them theoretically very efficient, potentially in the range of 45% to 50%. The high temperatures, however, can also lead to a corresponding increase in fission product transport out of the fuel, which is potentially a source term-related safety issue. The aim of this work was to develop a repeatable, accurate, and cost-effective process to measure the diffusion coefficients of fission products in graphitic VHTR materials, particularly those materials used in the fabrication of TRISO [tristructural isotropic] fuel pellets. Specifically, this work has focused on the diffusion of silver in graphite. We constructed graphite cells that could be filled with a silver diffusant in the form of silver flakes, silver powder, or a preloaded, silver-laden graphite powder. The cells were hermetically sealed and heated to temperatures comparable to those that will be found in VHTRs. After being kept at various amounts of time and temperature, these cells were imaged using microtomography and electron microscopy. Concentration profiles were measured by sectioning the heat-treated cells and analyzing them using neutron activation analysis. Estimated diffusion coefficients for silver in a commercial grade of graphite are reported, but the method is easily adapted to any grade of graphite material including nuclear grades and to a variety of other fission product species.