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.
Magdi M. H. Ragheb, Said I. Abdel-Khalik, Mahmoud Youssef, Charles W. Maynard
Nuclear Technology | Volume 45 | Number 2 | September 1979 | Pages 140-152
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32304
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Three-dimensional neutronics models of the SOLASE-H fusion-fission reactor have been analyzed by Monte Carlo. In this design, light water reactor (LWR) fertile ThO2 fuel bundles are enriched in the fissile isotope 233U and then shipped for burning in the LWRs. A concept where the fertile fuel bundles constitute a lattice configuration with the moderator-multiplier material is investigated. Parametric lattice calculations as a function of the neutron moderator-multiplier to fuel volume ratio (vm/vf) in the lattice show that it is possible in such a concept to enhance the fissile nuclei production density in the fertile fuel, compared to cases where a lattice configuration is not used. This leads to shorter times to attain projected average fissile enrichments, using substantially smaller fuel inventories. Surrounding the whole reactor cavity with the neutron multiplier is found to enhance the fissile breeding in the radial blanket. Severe asymmetries in the spatial distribution of the fissile enrichment are detected and suggest the necessity of elaborate fuel irradiation and management programs in the case of a laser-driven system. The concept of a lattice configuration and the use of the whole solid angle surrounding the fusion source for neutron multiplication are recommended for adoption in future magnetic and inertial confinement fusion-fission hybrid reactor designs.