ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott 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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
L. H. Rovner, G. R. Hopkins
Nuclear Technology | Volume 29 | Number 3 | June 1976 | Pages 274-302
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor Material / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31593
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The (low-atomic-number ceramic) materials carbon, SiC, Be2C, B4C, TiC, BN, Si3N4, Al2O3, and BeO provide a range of property values that are useful for evaluating range of applicability of low-atomic-number ceramic materials in fusion reactors. A survey of recent literature provides a base for conceptual design analyses of two first wall concepts: (a) a radiation-cooled simple plate liner and (b) a pressurized helium, forced convection-cooled tubular assembly. The first case is limited in heat load by maximum material temperature, and the second by either temperature or stress. Maximum temperatures are limited by vapor pressure or chemical reaction rates with plasma hydrogen, both resulting in release of impurities to the plasma. Silicon carbide and carbon appear most suitable for first wall materials, with estimated wall loading limits in the range from 1 to >5 MW/m2 of incident 14-MeV neutrons.
