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Division Spotlight
Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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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High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
Chenhao Zeng, Wanchang Lai, Jinge Zhou, Hongjian Lin, Xiaojie Feng, Yongping Yu, Runqiu Gu, Shangqing Sun, Jinfei Wu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 209 | Number 4 | April 2023 | Pages 549-559
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2133515
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We address the performance of airborne gamma detection systems equipped with a NaI(Tl) detector to monitor radionuclides in specific areas. In particular, we analyze the use of the fast singular value decomposition (FSVD) algorithm to improve the nuclide recognition ability of the system and effectively trace radioactivity in a complex background environment. We first present a theoretical analysis of the FSVD algorithm and illustrate the nuclide recognition algorithm step by step. The core of the algorithm is singular value decomposition and parameter estimation based on a Gaussian Markov linear regression model. From the estimated values of the parameters, information about radionuclides can be effectively extracted. We assume the presence of a strong background due to a high concentration of 222Rn and its progeny, which is simulated using GEANT4. By adding trace elements of 131I and 137Cs and changing the relative emissivity, the ratio of the total energy peak count of 131I and 137Cs to the background environment interval count of the corresponding 222Rn and its progeny are controlled. Assuming a counting ratio equal to 0.005, the FSVD algorithm is still able to effectively discriminate the presence of a small number of nuclides, reflecting very excellent recognition ability. Finally, based on data from an airborne gamma detection system in a self-control radon chamber, the FSVD algorithm is employed to recognize the trace of 137Cs nuclides in a strong radon background. A DURRIDGE RAD7 radon measuring instrument is used to monitor the radon concentration in the radon chamber. The actual measurement results show that the FSVD algorithm can effectively detect 137Cs nuclides.
