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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
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!
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Fusion Science and Technology
February 2024
Latest News
Lightbridge announces first U-Zr fuel rod samples extruded at INL
Lightbridge Corporation announced today that it has reached “a critical milestone” in the development of its extruded solid fuel technology. Coupon samples using an alloy of zirconium and depleted uranium—not the high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) that Lightbridge plans to use to manufacture its fuel for the commercial market—were extruded at Idaho National Laboratory’s Materials and Fuels Complex.
K. Takahashi, T. Imai, N. Kobayashi, K. Sakamoto, A. Kasugai, A. Hayakawa, S. Mori, K. Mohri
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 1 | January 2005 | Pages 1-15
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A594
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The performance of a front steering (FS)-type electron cyclotron launcher designed for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is evaluated with a thermal, electromagnetic, and nuclear analysis of the components; a mechanical test of a spiral tube for the steering mirror; and a rotational test of bearings. The launcher consists of a front shield and a launcher plug where three movable optic mirrors to steer incident multimegawatt radio-frequency beam power, waveguide components, nuclear shields, and vacuum windows are installed. The windows are located behind a closure plate to isolate the transmission lines from the radioactivated circumstance (vacuum vessel). The waveguide lines of the launcher are doglegged to reduce the direct neutron streaming toward the vacuum windows and other components. The maximum stresses on the critical components such as the steering mirror, its cooling tube, and the front shield are less than their allowable stresses. It was also identified that the stress on the launcher, which yielded from electromagnetic force caused by plasma disruption, was a little larger than the criteria, and a modification of the launcher plug structure was necessary. The nuclear analysis result shows that the neutron shield capability of the launcher satisfies the shield criteria of the ITER. It concludes that the design of the FS launcher is generally suitable for application to the ITER.