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.
Division Spotlight
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
DOE issues final RFQ for WIPP clean energy initiative
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has issued a request for qualifications for interested parties and prospective offerors looking to enter into a realty agreement for carbon-pollution-free electricity (CFE) projects at the department’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in southeastern New Mexico.
Masatoshi Yamasaki, Hironobu Unesaki, Akio Yamamoto, Toshikazu Takeda, Masaaki Mori
Nuclear Technology | Volume 183 | Number 2 | August 2013 | Pages 178-193
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A18110
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The use of high-enrichment fuels, e.g., fuels with >5 wt% 235U, is an effective method of reducing the number of spent-fuel assemblies and improving fuel cycle economics. However, from a criticality safety point of view, such high enrichment levels would entail considerable modification of most facilities and equipment, which would require a significant investment. Erbia-credit super-high-burnup fuel offers the potential for an effective solution to this problem. The fuel is based on the concept that small amounts of erbia added to the entire amount of UO2 powder can reduce the reactivity level to less than that observed at a 5 wt% enrichment level, thus eliminating the majority of the modifications mentioned above. In this paper, a feasibility assessment from the viewpoint of fuel cycle economics is performed to confirm the benefits of erbia-credit-fuel implementation. A simple model to consider the erbia penalty is also proposed. The results show that the generation cost can be significantly reduced by using erbia credit, although the fuel cycle cost would not necessarily decrease in any of the cases when the enrichment level is increased. In addition, implementation scenarios of erbia credit are discussed considering the current industrial situation and the reactivity penalty incurred by the usage of erbia fuel. These implementation scenarios are also considered from the viewpoint of energy security.