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Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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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May 2025
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
June 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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
Simon Chung, Martin Stewart, Peter Wypych, David Hastie, Andrew Grima, Sam Moricca
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 4 | April 2025 | Pages 821-847
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2361195
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This research presents a discrete element method (DEM) model for simulating the vibratory filling of the Idaho calcine waste simulant into various convoluted hot isostatic pressing canisters. The simulation closely emulates the experimental vibratory powder-filling processes, achieving accurate representations of surface profiles and powder bed heights. Notably, the model underestimates lower fill levels but demonstrates improved accuracy at higher levels due to diminished air influence. Executed on a consumer-grade desktop PC, the DEM model replicates tapped powder bed heights to within millimeters, proving its capability to efficiently simulate commercial-scale bulk material handling processes using standard computing hardware.