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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
60 Years of U: Perspectives on resources, demand, and the evolving role of nuclear energy
Recent years have seen growing global interest in nuclear energy and rising confidence in the sector. For the first time since the early 2000s, there is renewed optimism about the industry’s future. This change is driven by several major factors: geopolitical developments that highlight the need for secure energy supplies, a stronger focus on resilient energy systems, national commitments to decarbonization, and rising demand for clean and reliable electricity.
H. L. Wilkens, A. V. Hamza, A. Nikroo, N. E. Teslich
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 49 | Number 4 | May 2006 | Pages 809-812
Technical Paper | Target Fabrication | doi.org/10.13182/FST06-A1205
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The current point design for ignition targets for the National Ignition Facility has a beryllium ablator. As Be is essentially impermeable to hydrogen, conceptually the shell will be filled by boring through the shell with a laser, then attaching a fill-tube. Examination of focused ion beam (FIB) technology is under way as an alternative to laser drilling. Holes of 40, 20, and 15 m diameter have been successfully ion milled through a 47 m thick Be layer. These holes are clean, though take several hours to make, and the geometry is limited by the aspect ratio of the depth to the diameter of the hole. Work was also done to investigate the possibility of using a FIB to create a counter-bore for the insertion and attachment of a fill-tube in a Be shell which has a pre-existing hole. Because the FIB can be controlled to sub-micron scales, the counter-bore can be easily centered on the through-hole and the side-walls and base of the counter-bore can be made very smooth. Finally, a proof-of-principle experiment was made to show that a Be wire could be attached to an in-situ micromanipulator and then be placed inside the counter-bore.