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Division Spotlight
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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Latest News
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.
Shang-Fon Su, Gene L. Woodruff, N. J. McCormick
Nuclear Technology | Volume 29 | Number 3 | June 1976 | Pages 392-405
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor Material / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31604
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The neutronics of several fusion-fission hybrid reactors were studied to develop a design capable of producing 233U while maintaining a self-sufficiency in tritium. High breeding rates are achieved by using an equilibrium concentration of 238U and 239Pu instead of thorium in a converter region to produce a significantly greater multiplication of the 14-MeV source neutrons. The final blanket design has an 18-cm neutron converter that consists of 0.5-in-diam pins of 92% 238U/8% 239Pu with a 0.7-in. pitch. The 40-cm breeding region consists of 0.5-in.-diam pins of ThC with 0.6-in. pitch; the overall blanket thickness is 102 cm. The tritium and fissile breeding ratios are 1.052 and 1.880, respectively, and there are 3.537 233U nuclei produced per fusion neutron. An analysis of the performance of the blanket over a 2-yr period was carried out, including the buildup and depletion of fissionable nuclides and fission products. The final design requires an inventory of ∼30 000 kg of 239Pu, which must be produced for the design to be viable. A preliminary static and time-dependent study was done for a startup cycle to serve this purpose.