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
2026 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 15–18, 2026
Phoenix, AZ|Arizona Grand Resort & Spa
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
LLNL, Ampera partner to develop thorium-based TRISO fuel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has formed a strategic partnership with Ampera to develop the company’s nuclear fuel concept through a project named THUNDER, for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors.
The focus of THUNDER is fabricating TRISO made with kernels of thorium rather than the usual uranium. LLNL and Ampera will evaluate and optimize liquid metal–jetting technology to produce highly uniform, spherical kernels of thorium-232 for later processing into TRISO fuel.
P. Chr. Løken, J. Bakke, I. Gløersen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 42 | Number 2 | February 1979 | Pages 155-162
Technical Paper | Thorium Fuel Cycle in a Breeder Economy / Reactor Siting | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32146
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The major findings of a comprehensive study of the major aspects of rock cavity construction of a large nuclear power plant are: 1. Current technology is adequate for the realization of such construction. 2. A method for estimating the probability of rock fallout and gross cavity instability is presently not available. 3. Certain design modifications and amplifications must be made to prevent dependent failures. 4. No significant reduction in the immediate radiological effects of Class 9 accidents will result unless special design measures are made for this purpose. 5. The vulnerability of the plant to certain external effects is significantly reduced. 6. The total time for the realization of such construction will be significantly longer than that for a traditionally constructed plant. 7. The extra cost will be substantial.