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Division Spotlight
Thermal Hydraulics
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
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!
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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.
Hiroji Katsuta, Kazuo Furukawa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 31 | Number 2 | November 1976 | Pages 218-231
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31684
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Hydrogen and oxygen behaviors in a sodium test loop similar to the sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor were examined. Hydrogen partial pressure equilibrated to the sodium was measured by a membrane-permeation-type hydrogen-meter. An electrochemical oxygen-meter was used to determine the oxygen activity. The measured hydrogen pressure was converted to the hydrogen concentration through the Sieverts’ constant, and the oxygen activity was also converted to the oxygen concentration through the characteristics of the oxygen-meter cells. Hydrogen and oxygen solubilities in liquid sodium were obtained as functions of the cold-trap temperature from 115 to 208°C. Both data have a similar temperature dependence and were anomalously larger than the extrapolated values in the temperature region lower than 180°C. At 300°C, the addition of hydrogen to the liquid sodium, valved off from the purification apparatus, lowered the oxygen activity in the liquid sodium. The experimental results suggest a significant interaction between hydrogen and oxygen and the existence of (OH) species in liquid sodium. Using the solubility data of oxygen, hydrogen, and (OH) species, the free energy change of the reaction,(O)in Na + (H) in Na = (OH)in Na,was obtained and was ΔG°(kcal/mole) = −28 + 0.043 T. From the temperature dependence of the equilibrium hydrogen pressure, the apparent heat of a solution of hydrogen in liquid sodium was obtained as 1.6 kcal/mole.
