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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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Strong performances across the board
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
Another year, another stellar performance by America’s nuclear plants. We’ve come to expect high capacity factors, and it’s a credit to the men and women of the profession. They’ve made routine something that was unimaginable not so long ago.
The decadal challenge for the nuclear enterprise now is to maintain this high level of operational excellence for the current fleet, while at the same time ushering in a new generation of technologies at scale. It will be a big job—but one that seems more and more likely with each passing day.
Rajiv Sharma, Alkesh M. Mavani, V. L. Tanna
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 2 | February 2024 | Pages 230-243
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2223742
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An epoxy resin system is used in a superconducting tokamak to insulate the conducting components, such as superconducting windings, cooling pipes, metal electrodes, and bonding and sealing of dissimilar material joints at cryogenic temperature. The main aim is to develop and fabricate the dissimilar material joints of metal and glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) polymer in the form of cryogenic components for the superconducting fusion magnet. To bond and fabricate the dissimilar joints, the epoxy resin needs to have low viscosity, good adhesion, resistance to moisture, long usable life, and high toughness at low temperatures.
A two-component-modified diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resin was formulated with a modified polyamine-based hardener. To increase the toughness and minimize the induced thermal stress at low temperatures, a silane coupling agent, gamma-aminopropyltrithoxysilane, was used for its superior bonding and fast curing process. The tensile strength examination test results were found to 85 MPa, as per the International Organization for Standardization standard ISO 527-2, and an interlaminar shear strength of 12 MPa was found, as per the American Society for Testing and Materials standard ASTM D5868 at 77 K, respectively.
The mechanical performance enhancements at 77 K overcome the issue of cracks and helium leaks that develop at cryogenic temperatures, as reported. The dissimilar material joints fabricated using the epoxy resin in the form of a cryo component have been validated in machine with an acceptable helium leak tightness of 1.0E-08 mbar-l/s. In this work, we report on the development, mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance tests, the testing and failures of various epoxy resins systems used, and the cryo components at 300 and 77 K.