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 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
April 2026
Latest News
NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
Suresh V. Garimella, Richard N. Christensen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 89 | Number 3 | March 1990 | Pages 388-398
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34377
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental investigation was undertaken in which transient condensation of steam-air mixtures occurred on one face of a large aluminum block of which all the other faces were insulated. Tests were conducted in a pressure vessel at pressures of up to 650 kPa. The transients were provided by a sudden increase in the vessel pressure from a given value to a much higher value by the introduction of additional steam. Temperature measurements within the block agreed well with results from a finite difference analysis of the condensing surface and block. Visual observation of the condensing surface indicated that the mode of condensation was predominantly dropwise. The dependence of the heat transfer coefficient on time, pressure, severity of the transient, percentage of noncondensables, and the driving temperature difference was studied. The results at the much higher pressures and transient conditions used in this study agreed with observations in the literature of such trends at lower pressures. There was evidence of the occurrence of a buildup of noncondensables at the condensing surface with time.