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
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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
Oct 2025
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
November 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
October 2025
Latest News
Researchers use one-of-a-kind expertise and capabilities to test fuels of tomorrow
At the Idaho National Laboratory Hot Fuel Examination Facility, containment box operator Jake Maupin moves a manipulator arm into position around a pencil-thin nuclear fuel rod. He is preparing for a procedure that he and his colleagues have practiced repeatedly in anticipation of this moment in the hot cell.
J. F. Remark, A. B. Johnson, Jr., Harry Farrar, IV, D. G. Atteridge
Nuclear Technology | Volume 29 | Number 3 | June 1976 | Pages 369-377
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor Material / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31601
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The results of a study on the use of the decay of tritium to helium as a method of charging metals with helium were presented. Tritium was dissolved into vanadium and niobium specimens at elevated temperatures, allowed to decay to helium at room temperature, and then removed from the given specimen by hot vacuum extraction. Post-high-temperature test 3He concentrations up to 500 appm were achieved and were found to agree within ±7% with tritium decay concentration calculations. Substantial ductility decreases were found in niobium specimens tested at 1020°C and containing >130 appm helium. The ductility losses appeared to correlate with the appearance of helium on the grain boundaries. A niobium specimen containing 170 appm helium and subjected to an 1800°C anneal exhibited a substantial loss of load-carrying grain-boundary area due to grain-boundary helium bubble formation.