ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
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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
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver 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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Nuclear Technology
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May 2025
Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
W. F. G. van Rooijen, J. L. Kloosterman, T. H. J. J. van der Hagen, H. van Dam
Nuclear Technology | Volume 151 | Number 3 | September 2005 | Pages 221-238
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3645
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) is regarded as the primary candidate for a future sustainable nuclear power system. In this paper a general core layout is presented for a 2400-MW(thermal) GCFR. Two fuel elements are discussed: a TRISO-based coated particle and the innovative hollow sphere concept. Sustainability calls for recycling of all minor actinides (MAs) in the core and a breeding gain close to unity. A fuel cycle is designed allowing operation over a long period, requiring refueling with 238U only. The evolution of nuclides in the GCFR core is calculated using the SCALE system (one-dimensional and three-dimensional). Calculations were done over multiple irradiation cycles including reprocessing. The result is that it is possible to design a fuel and GCFR core with a breeding gain around unity, with recycling of all MAs from cycle to cycle. The burnup reactivity swing is small, improving safety. After several fuel batches an equilibrium core is reached. MA loading in the core remains limited, and the fuel temperature coefficient is always negative.
