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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Deep Space: The new frontier of radiation controls
In commercial nuclear power, there has always been a deliberate tension between the regulator and the utility owner. The regulator fundamentally exists to protect the worker, and the utility, to make a profit. It is a win-win balance.
From the U.S. nuclear industry has emerged a brilliantly successful occupational nuclear safety record—largely the result of an ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) process that has driven exposure rates down to what only a decade ago would have been considered unthinkable. In the U.S. nuclear industry, the system has accomplished an excellent, nearly seamless process that succeeds to the benefit of both employee and utility owner.
C. C. Petty
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 2 | October 2005 | Pages 1159-1169
Technical Paper | DIII-D Tokamak - Radio-Frequency Heating and Current Drive | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A1068
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Two methods of radio-frequency (rf) current drive that are well suited to controlling and sustaining the current profile in burning plasma experiments have been studied in the DIII-D tokamak. Fast-wave current drive (FWCD) gave centrally peaked current densities that increased linearly with central electron temperature. While high harmonic absorption of the fast waves on energetic beam ions could reduce the available power for current drive, FWCD figures of merit as high as FW = 0.5 × 1019 A/m2W were still achieved. Electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) was shown to be localized to the region of power deposition, with a current drive efficiency that decreased as the magnetic well depth increased. The detrimental effect of the magnetic well could be mitigated by raising the electron beta. ECCD figures of merit as high as EC = 0.5 × 1019 A/m2W were measured for central deposition. The experimental FWCD and ECCD were both extensively tested against theoretical models and were found to be in excellent agreement. Validation of these predictive models of rf current drive aids in scenario development for next-step tokamaks.