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
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
July 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
NRC cuts fees by 50 percent for advanced reactor applicants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced it has amended regulations for the licensing, inspection, special projects, and annual fees it will charge applicants and licensees for fiscal year 2025.
Michael W. Cappiello, Paul W. Lisowski
Nuclear Technology | Volume 132 | Number 1 | October 2000 | Pages 115-127
Technical Paper | Accelerator Applications | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3133
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Accelerator Production of Tritium Target/Blanket (T/B) system is comprised of an assembly of tritium-producing modules supported by safety, heat removal, shielding, and retargeting systems. The T/B assembly produces tritium using a high-energy proton beam, a tungsten/lead spallation neutron source and 3He gas as the tritium-producing feedstock. The supporting heat removal systems remove the heat deposited by the proton beam during both normal and off-normal conditions. The shielding protects workers from ionizing radiation, and the retargeting systems remove and replace components that have reached their end of life. All systems reside within the T/B building, which is located at the end of a linear accelerator. For the nominal production mode, protons are accelerated to an energy of 1030 MeV at a current of 100 mA and are directed onto the T/B assembly. The protons are expanded to a 0.19- × 1.9-m beam spot before striking a centrally located tungsten neutron source. A surrounding lead blanket produces additional neutrons from scattered high-energy particles. A total of 27 neutrons are produced per incident proton. Tritium is produced by neutron capture in 3He gas that is contained in aluminum tubes throughout the blanket. The 3He/tritium mixture is removed on a semi-continuous basis for purification in an adjacent Tritium Separation Facility. Systems and components are designed with safety as a primary consideration to minimize risk to the workers and the public. Materials and component designs were chosen based on the experiences of operating spallation neutron sources that have been designed and built for the neutron science community. An extensive engineering development and demonstration program provides detailed information for the completion of the design.