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Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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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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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
DOE issues RFQ for clean-energy projects at WIPP
The Department of Energy has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for interested parties that are looking to establish carbon pollution–free electricity (CFE) projects at its Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in New Mexico.
Eleanor G. Forbes, Uri Shumlak, Harry S. McLean, Brian A. Nelson, Elliot L. Claveau, Raymond P. Golingo, Drew P. Higginson, James M. Mitrani, Anton D. Stepanov, Kurt K. Tummel, Tobin R. Weber, Yue Zhang
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 75 | Number 7 | October 2019 | Pages 599-607
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2019.1622971
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The sheared-flow-stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch is a promising confinement concept for the development of a compact fusion reactor. The Z-pinch has been theoretically and experimentally shown to be stable to magnetohydrodynamic modes when sufficient radial shear of the axial flow is present. At the University of Washington, the Fusion Z-pinch Experiment (FuZE) research project examines scaling the SFS Z-pinch toward fusion conditions. The FuZE device produces long-duration, 50-cm-long pinches with measured ion and electron temperatures over 1 keV and number densities greater than cm. Plasma properties are measured with a diagnostic suite that includes magnetic field probes, heterodyne quadrature interferometry, digital holographic interferometry, ion-Doppler spectroscopy, and fast framing photography. Neutrons are produced in the FuZE device when deuterium is injected along with the normal hydrogen or helium fueling species. Neutron generation is diagnosed using plastic scintillator detectors. The neutron production is sustained for 5 to 8 μs, thousands of times longer than the static Z-pinch instability growth time. Measured neutron production is consistent with calculated theoretical values for thermonuclear yield at the observed plasma temperatures and scales with the square of the deuterium concentration. A preliminary reactor concept is designed to incorporate flowing liquid metal walls, which would serve as an electrode, a heat transfer fluid, a radiological shield, and a breeding blanket. Using a liquid metal wall could address several unresolved material and technology issues in existing fusion reactor designs.