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
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Swiss nuclear power and the case for long-term operation
Designed for 40 years but built to last far longer, Switzerland’s nuclear power plants have all entered long-term operation. Yet age alone says little about safety or performance. Through continuous upgrades, strict regulatory oversight, and extensive aging management, the country’s reactors are being prepared for decades of continued operation, in line with international practice.
Tetsuaki Takeda, Jin Iwatsuki
Nuclear Technology | Volume 146 | Number 1 | April 2004 | Pages 83-95
Technical Paper | Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3490
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Permeation of hydrogen isotopes through a high-temperature alloy used for heat exchanger and catalyst pipes is an important problem in the hydrogen production system connected to the High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the existence of hydrogen in an outside pipe on the amount of permeated deuterium through the pipe. It was found that the amount of permeated deuterium decreases by increasing the partial pressure of hydrogen in the outside pipe when the partial pressure of deuterium in the pipe is lower than 100 Pa and that of hydrogen in the outside pipe is larger than 10 kPa. The amount of permeated deuterium on counter permeation was predicted quantitatively by using an effectiveness factor for diffusivity of deuterium in metals and by taking into account the equilibrium state for hydrogen, deuterium, and HD molecules on the metal surface. From the results obtained in this study, it is supposed that the amount of tritium transferred from the primary circuit of the HTTR to the hydrogen production system will be reduced by the existence of high-pressure hydrogen in the catalyst pipe of the steam reformer.