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.
Division Spotlight
Education, Training & Workforce Development
The Education, Training & Workforce Development Division provides communication among the academic, industrial, and governmental communities through the exchange of views and information on matters related to education, training and workforce development in nuclear and radiological science, engineering, and technology. Industry leaders, education and training professionals, and interested students work together through Society-sponsored meetings and publications, to enrich their professional development, to educate the general public, and to advance nuclear and radiological science and engineering.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
August 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
Blair P. Bromley, Bronwyn Hyland
Nuclear Technology | Volume 186 | Number 3 | June 2014 | Pages 317-339
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-85
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
New reactor concepts to implement thorium-based fuel cycles have been explored to achieve maximum resource utilization. Pressure tube heavy water reactors (PT-HWRs) are highly advantageous for implementing thorium-based fuels because of their high neutron economy and online refueling capability. The use of heterogeneous seed/blanket core concepts in a PT-HWR where higher-fissile-content seed fuel bundles are physically separate from lower-fissile-content blanket bundles allows more flexibility and control in fuel management to maximize fissile utilization (FU) and conversion of fertile fuel. The lattice concept chosen was a 35-element bundle made with a homogeneous mixture of reactor-grade PuO2 (∼67 wt% fissile) and ThO2, with a central zirconia rod to reduce coolant void reactivity. Several annular and checkerboard-type heterogeneous seed/blanket core concepts with plutonium-thorium–based fuels in a 700-MW(electric)–class PT-HWR were analyzed, using a once-through thorium cycle. Different combinations of seed and blanket fuel were tested to determine the impact on core-average burnup, FU, power distributions, and other performance parameters. WIMS-AECL Version 3.1 was used to perform lattice physics calculations using two-dimensional, 89-group integral neutron transport theory, while RFSP Version 3.5.1 was used to perform the core physics and fuel management calculations using three-dimensional two-group diffusion theory. Among the different core concepts investigated, there were cores where the FU was up to 30% higher than that achieved in a PT-HWR using natural uranium fuel bundles. There were cores where up to 67% of the Pu was consumed, cores where up to 43% of the energy was produced from thorium, and cores where up to 363 kg/year of 233U was produced in the discharged fuel.