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
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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!
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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.
Tyler R. Steiner, Richard H. Howard
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 11 | November 2022 | Pages 1745-1755
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2072652
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A high-temperature, steady-state, in-pile experiment was developed to simulate prototypical nuclear thermal propulsion conditions. The experimental development of the resistively heated test apparatus involved spatially scaling the device to a larger heated region from a previous smaller out-of-pile prototype. A series of tests and investigations were conducted to replicate the smaller out-of-pile system’s success of achieving 2500 K. However, limitations within the larger assembly were identified; specifically, the heater filament design does not scale well. The larger assembly can reliably generate usable temperature levels from room temperature up to those exceeding 1300 K for hours. It can briefly sustain a usable 1800 K. The larger system is achieving temperatures over 2500 K, but these are localized and unable to be monitored in the current design. The achieved temperature levels remain suitable for testing various components considered for a nuclear thermal rocket. However, due to the limitations of the current heater filament, it is recommended that the apparatus be redesigned to utilize a rigid heating element similar to that used during the Radioisotope Propulsion Technology Program (Project POODLE) in the 1960s.