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
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES 2023)
December 10–14, 2023
New Orleans, LA|New Orleans Marriott
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
Dec 2023
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
December 2023
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
November 2023
Latest News
A fourth time around for World Nuclear Energy Day
World Nuclear Energy Day takes place tomorrow, marking the 81st anniversary of the day in 1942 when Enrico Fermi and his team achieved the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction with Chicago Pile-1. It also is the anniversary of the first commercial nuclear reactor reaching criticality—at Shippingport, Pa., on December 2, 1957.
Alexander Glaser, Laura Berzak Hopkins, M. V. Ramana
Nuclear Technology | Volume 184 | Number 1 | October 2013 | Pages 121-129
Technical Paper | Proliferation Issues/Nuclear Safeguards | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-A19873
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) with power levels much smaller than the currently standard 1000- to 1600-MW(electric) reactor designs have been proposed as a potential game changer for the future of nuclear power. We explore the contours of an expanded nuclear power generation capacity and the associated fuel cycles. To lay out a possible geographical distribution of nuclear capacity, we use results from an integrated assessment model used in energy and climate policy analysis. A wide variety of SMR designs with distinct characteristics are under development. To explore the impacts of these different designs, we have developed notional models for two leading SMR types and analyzed their resource requirements using results from neutronics calculations. Finally, we offer an initial assessment of the proliferation risks associated with these notional SMR designs compared to standard light water reactors (LWRs) using a Markov model. The analysis indicates that SMRs based on LWR technology (integral pressurized water reactors) have higher resource requirements as compared to gigawatt-scale reactors, while SMRs with long-lived cores have much lower resource requirements but a higher fissile content in the spent fuel they generate. These characteristics translate into increased proliferation risks unless they are offset by reactor design features or dedicated safeguards approaches.