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
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
U.S. nuclear capacity factors: Ideal for data centers?
Baseload nuclear generation doesn’t get the respect it deserves, if you ask nuclear operators. But the hyperscale data centers that process our digital lives—like the one right next to the Susquehanna plant in northeastern Pennsylvania—are pushing electricity demand up. Clean, reliable capacity now looks a lot more valuable.
Bret van den Akker, Abiodun Adeniyi (ORNL), Halim Alsaed (Enviro Nuclear Services), Jim Blink (Beckman & Assoc), Joe Carter, Tom Severynse, Bob Jones (SRNL)
Proceedings | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference (IHLRWM 2017) | Charlotte, NC, April 9-13, 2017 | Pages 402-409
Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies are stored in pools or dry casks at commercial reactor sites pending transfer to an interim storage facility (ISF) or a geologic repository for disposal. The cost of disposal will be dependent on the repository’s geology and size, as well as the number and size of waste packages requiring emplacement. To meet acceptance criteria for repository waste package loading, fuel in dry storage may require repackaging into smaller quantities. A modular packaging facility design has been developed for fuel stored in dry casks at reactor sites or an ISF, as well as bare fuel assemblies shipped directly from reactor fuel pools. This facility provides for receipt and packaging of 1,500 metric tons (MT) of fuel annually. Three sizes of storage, transportation and disposal canisters have been evaluated (a 4 pressurized water reactor (PWR)/9 boiling water reactor (BWR) can-in-carrier concept, a 12-PWR/32-BWR fuel canister, and a 21-PWR/44-BWR fuel canister) to determine the effect on facility throughput. Cost estimates have been developed for the packaging facility, and operating costs have been determined for packaging 1,500 MT of SNF per year.
Higher throughputs could be achieved for bare fuel because process steps for transfer and opening of the dual-purpose canister (DPC) are not necessary. Results from system modeling indicate that even for the more restrictive case where all fuel is received in DPCs, the desired throughput of 1,500 MT/year could be attained for the receipt basis of 1,000 MT PWR and 500 MT BWR fuel. Transfer of the fuel from transportation casks (TCs) (bare fuel) or DPCs to disposal canisters would be performed in a pool. The loaded canisters would be sealed, dried, and leak tested prior to being loaded into TCs for transport to a geologic repository or to an ISF. Additional facilities would be provided for decontamination of the TCs for reuse, as well as decontamination of the empty DPCs for disposal as low level radioactive waste (LLW). Conceptual layout and elevation drawings have been developed for a wet packaging facility to provide ~30,000 square feet of process area on two levels for cask and canister handling operations, 9,600 square feet for packaging operations in the fuel handling pool, and ~20,000 square feet for railcar receipt and dispatch of TCs. Capital and annual operating cost estimates have been developed and are in the range of $1.3B–$1.5B for capital costs and $190M–$256M for annual operating costs, depending on the canister chosen for repackaging.