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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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!
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ANS designates Armour Research Foundation Reactor as Nuclear Historic Landmark
The American Nuclear Society presented the Illinois Institute of Technology with a plaque last week to officially designate the Armour Research Foundation Reactor a Nuclear Historic Landmark, following the Society’s decision to confer the status onto the reactor in September 2024.
A. F. Moscati, R. C. Erdmann
Nuclear Technology | Volume 22 | Number 2 | May 1974 | Pages 184-190
Technical Paper | Ocean—Nuclear Energy | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A31401
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Ionizing radiation will have both somatic and genetic effects upon the exposed populations. Somatic changes, i.e., effects produced directly in the irradiated organism, will result in the death of the irradiated species by a variety of natural mechanisms. Genetic effects, however, are more subtle and may sometimes be viewed as beneficial; however, the benefits accruing to subsequent generations have yet to be demonstrated for marine species. Two models for predicting the impact of radioactivity in the food chain upon man are reviewed here: (a) the critical pathway concept, and (b) the specific activity approach. The specific activity method was used by Aten in 1961 to obtain estimates of the maximum permissible concentrations of biologically important radionuclides in seawater (MPC)s. In an accident situation involving the release of radioactivity from a light-water power reactor to the ocean, the most important radionuclides on the basis of the type of radiations emitted, quantity produced, half-life, and biological significance are the fission products 90Sr, 137Cs, 239Pu, and the activation products 65Zn, 54Fe, and 95Zr. The specific activity approach as applied to three classes of accidental radioactive releases to the sea can be used to determine the sensitive nuclide for each release and to estimate the relative degree of seriousness of each release by calculating the volume of seawater needed to dilute each spill to the (MPC)S of the critical nuclide. Estimates made for three types of accidental releases at sea yield the following data:
