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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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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July 2025
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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.
W. N. Rankin, J. A. Kelley
Nuclear Technology | Volume 41 | Number 3 | December 1978 | Pages 373-380
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste | doi.org/10.13182/NT78-A32121
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Metal oxide precipitates (primarily iron oxide compounds) will form in the glass matrix of some compositions of vitrified nuclear waste, during cooling of the melt, whenever solubility limits are exceeded. These precipitates, containing part of the cesium and strontium radionuclides from the waste, are more resistant to leaching by water than the as-cast glass matrix. Some of the glass matrix compositions devitrify during heating for 1 month at 600°C with the formation of equal amounts of NaAlSiO4 (nepheline or carnegieite) and (Ca, Mn) (Mg, Fe, Mn) Si2O6, plus a small amount of Ca4Fe14O25. The leachability of devitrified glass can be up to 100 times greater than the leachability of as-cast glass. The appearance and structure of the metal oxide precipitates are unaffected by the temperature conditions that caused devitrification of the glass matrix. The metal oxide precipitate particles are less leachable in water than any of the phases in the devitrified matrix.
