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
Apr 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
April 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2026
Latest News
Diablo Canyon advocacy, Midwest nuclear legislation among April state news items
Pending, passed, and coveted legislation involving nuclear energy made their way across multiple state capitol buildings in the month of April. Here are a few notable updates from California, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri.
W. J. Lackey, F. J. Homan, A. R. Olsen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 16 | Number 1 | October 1972 | Pages 120-142
Technical Paper | Reactor Materials Performance / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT72-A31181
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Thermal-gradient-induced redistribution of porosity and fuel components during irradiation of (U,Pu)O2 alters the fuel thermal conductivity, melting point, mechanical properties, and radial heat generation profile sufficiently to influence fast breeder reactor fuel pin performance. Analytical models, which should prove useful in design and analysis of such fuel pins, were developed for predicting radial porosity and Pu: (U + Pu) profiles. The interrelated porosity and actinide redistribution models are kinetic and based on the evaporation-condensation mechanism of material transport. The models were shown to yield predictions in accord with experimentally measured porosity and actinide profiles for an irradiated pin containing stoichiometric fuel. The volume-averaged porosity of the columnar grain region of irradiated pins was 5.9 and ≥3.8% after burnups of 0.7 and 4.2% FIMA, respectively. The columnar grains are thus more porous than previously believed.