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June 16–19, 2024
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Latest News
The busyness of the nuclear fuel supply chain
Ken Petersenpresident@ans.org
With all that is happening in the industry these days, the nuclear fuel supply chain is still a hot topic. The Russian assault in Ukraine continues to upend the “where” and “how” of attaining nuclear fuel—and it has also motivated U.S. legislators to act.
Two years into the Russian war with Ukraine, things are different. The Inflation Reduction Act was passed in 2022, authorizing $700 million in funding to support production of high-assay low-enriched uranium in the United States. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy this January issued a $500 million request for proposals to stimulate new HALEU production. The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 includes $2.7 billion in funding for new uranium enrichment production. This funding was diverted from the Civil Nuclear Credits program and will only be released if there is a ban on importing Russian uranium into the United States—which could happen by the time this column is published, as legislation that bans Russian uranium has passed the House as of this writing and is headed for the Senate. Also being considered is legislation that would sanction Russian uranium. Alternatively, the Biden-Harris administration may choose to ban Russian uranium without legislation in order to obtain access to the $2.7 billion in funding.
Charles D. Orth
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 1245-1250
Inertial Confinement Fusion Target and Reaction Chamber Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24901
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We report approximate x-ray and debris spectra emanating from a region of compressed DT fuel representing the imploded configuration of a generic direct-drive ICF reactor pellet. We show how the spectra are modified by spherical lead shields of various thicknesses placed near the pellet, and show that it is not possible to lessen the ablation of the first wall or blanket of a low-pressure ICF reactor chamber through use of such shields. Then we report that the calculated x-ray spectra alone (i.e., without the associated debris) cause vaporization of a first wall placed at a radius of 4 m that is much more than previously expected. This result increases the importance of understanding the details of the vaporization and condensation phenomena.