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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
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Latest News
Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
Michelangelo Durazzo, Adonis Marcelo Saliba-Silva, Rafael Henrique Lazzari Garcia, Elita Fontenele Urano De Carvalho, Humberto Gracher Riella
Nuclear Technology | Volume 200 | Number 2 | November 2017 | Pages 170-176
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1353870
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Metallic uranium is a fundamental raw material for producing nuclear fuel elements for research reactors and irradiation targets for producing 99Mo, as U3Si2, UMo alloy, UAlx, and uranium thin foils. Magnesiothermic reduction of UF4 is a possible route in the nuclear fuel cycle for producing uranium as a metal ingot. The main concern about the reducing scale to produce low-enriched (metallic) uranium (LEU) (around 1 kg) is the relatively low yield compared to calciothermic reduction. Nevertheless, the magnesiothermic reduction has the advantages of having lower cost and being a safer method for dealing with uranium processing. The magnesiothermic process, as a batch, is closed inside a sealed crucible. In the present study, in order to have a qualitative idea of the kinetics during the ignition moment, the slag projected over the lateral inner face of the crucible was used to sketch the general magnesiothermic evolution. The methods used were metallographic observation and X-ray diffraction followed by Rietveld refinement. The results of these analyses led to the conception of a general reaction development during the short time between the ignition of the reducing reaction and final settlement of the products. Relevant information from this study led to the conclusion that uranium is not primarily present in the lateral slag projection over the crucible during the reaction, and the temperature level may reach 1500°C or more, after the ignition.