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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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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.
L. Poussard, E. Anselmi, B. Blondel, P. Buvat, A. Balland-Longeau
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 49 | Number 4 | May 2006 | Pages 707-713
Technical Paper | Target Fabrication | doi.org/10.13182/FST06-A1190
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Polyimide films are materials of choice as membrane shutters of the hohlraum that contains a plastic microshell in which nuclear products are located to carry out Inertial Confinement Fusion experiments. In addition to high mechanical properties, polymer membranes must exhibit a high transparency in the infrared (IR) wavelengths range between 2.86 and 4 m (3500 and 2500 cm-1) to allow the IR assisted deuterium-tritium ice layer redistribution. UpilexTM type polyimides exhibit the desired mechanical properties but are not transparent in this wavelengths range due to the aromatic C-H stretching bands. In order to provide the required optical properties, the hydrogen atoms must be substituted by deuterium atoms.In the present contribution, we wish to report the first synthesis of a fully deuterated UpilexTM type polyimide. Optimized ways of synthesis and purification for the two deuterated monomers 3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA-d6) and p-phenylene diamine (PDA-d4) have been developed. These monomers have been used to prepare deuterated poly(amic-acid) solutions in NMP. Thermal treatment of films obtained from these solutions gives rise to deuterated Upilex type polyimide films. These films show a high transparency in the 2.86-4 m region. The synthesis and the characterization of this new deuterated polymer will be discussed.
