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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.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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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.
K. V. Subbaiah, C. Sunil Sunny
Nuclear Technology | Volume 135 | Number 3 | September 2001 | Pages 265-272
Technical Paper | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3221
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
KAMINI is the Kalpakkam Mini Reactor, and its main purpose is to cater to experimental needs and for neutron radiography. It is a water-cooled reactor with 233U as the fissile material. Using the Monte Carlo n-particle transport code MCNP, shielding optimization calculations are carried out for the south beam port tube, which is meant for neutron radiography of spent-fuel subassemblies of the fast breeder test reactor. The neutron beam port is a graded cylindrical aluminium channel starting from the center of the reactor core; it pierces through the biological shield and is 2 m long. The diameter of the channel at the core center is 54 mm, at the other end it is 25 cm, and it is 0.5 m below the floor level. The latter end serves as the neutron surface source for these calculations. The calculations have been carried out in cylindrical geometry (r,z) of shield structures. From results of the analysis, a movable shield 50 cm thick (25 cm paraffin and 25 cm lead), 75 cm wide, and 172 cm long extending ~95 cm into the demineralizer room (cooling water purification room) is proposed to replace the existing temporary shield structure. In addition, fixed shields of the same thickness and width of 50 cm on either side of the beam is recommended to reduce the dose levels to a few tens of microsieverts per hour in the accessible areas. Further, the lead-shielded cylindrical tube meant for insertion of irradiated fuel subassemblies for neutron radiography needs to be covered with 20 cm of paraffin up to a height of 1 m from ground level to avoid streaming of neutrons through the air column.
