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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
Standards Program
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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Latest News
Canada clears Darlington to produce Lu-177 and Y-90
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has amended Ontario Power Generation’s power reactor operating license for Darlington nuclear power plant to authorize the production of the medical radioisotopes lutetium-177 and yttrium-90.
Man-Sung Yim, Scott A. Simonson, Terry M. Sullivan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 114 | Number 2 | May 1996 | Pages 254-271
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35254
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Atmospheric releases of I4C from a generic engineered low-level waste (LLW) disposal facility and its radiological impacts are investigated. A computer model that describes microbial gas generation and the transport has been developed and used to analyze the generation of l4C contaminated gases and subsequent migration in a facility. Models are based on a chemical kinetic description of aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of organic materials coupled with attending models of oxygen transport and consumption within waste containers in a facility. Effects of radiolysis on gas generation are addressed based on the estimated dose rate for class B and C wastes. Estimates predict that annual atmospheric release of l4C due to atmospheric pressure variations could range between ∼2.6 × 108 and 5.5 × 1011 Bq as a result of microbial gas generation based on a volume of 48 000 m3 LLW disposed in a facility. The associated dose to a maximally exposed individual is estimated to be dominated by ingestion pathway and strongly depends on the fraction of the food imported from an uncontaminated outside area. Dose rates are expected to be <0.04 mSv/yr, considering a reasonable distance between the facility and the exposed population. The depletion through airborne releases of l4C inventory that is available for transport through other pathways is not expected to be a significant issue.
