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2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Surplus plutonium for power reactor fuel: What’s on offer
The Department of Energy has a plan for private companies to “dispose of surplus plutonium”—about 19.7 metric tons in both oxide and metal forms—by “making the materials available for advanced nuclear technologies.” A Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program request for applications (RFA) issued October 21 describes the plutonium on offer, and the “thresholds” prospective applicants must meet.
J. K. Hoffer, J. D. Sheliak, D. A. Geller, D. Schroen, P. S. Ebey
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 50 | Number 1 | July 2006 | Pages 15-32
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST06-A1217
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Solid deuterium-tritium (the symbol DT is used here to represent the equilibrium mixture of 50% deuterium and 50% tritium, having the molecular composition: 25% D2, 50% deuterium tritide molecules, and 25% T2) (DT) is nucleated from DT-wetted foam and subsequently forms a uniform layer by the beta-layering phenomenon. Compared to DT frozen on smooth metal surfaces, the surface roughness of the inner-lying pure DT solid-vapor interface is substantially lower at all modal values higher than ~10, possibly due to the small-grain-size polycrystalline nature of the solid. For thick layers, deleterious effects are observed, notably the formation of DT-rich vapor voids in the foam matrix and the subsequent propagation of these voids into the pure solid DT layer.