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Second round of Launch Pad selections includes eight newcomers
The National Reactor Innovation Center at Idaho National Laboratory has announced 13 project selections across 12 companies for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, a Department of Energy–led program that integrates reactor and fuel facility authorization, testing, and deployment support for private nuclear developers.
The Launch Pad emerged from the Reactor Pilot Program and Fuel Line Pilot Program.
According to INL, projects selected include reactor development and nuclear fuel cycle advancements, including fabrication, enrichment, and conversion technologies.
C. P. C. Wong, V. S. Chan, A. M. Garofalo, J. A. Leuer, M. E. Sawan, J. P. Smith, R. D. Stambaugh
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 2 | August 2011 | Pages 449-453
Power Plant, Demo, and FNSF | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 2) | doi.org/10.13182/FST60-449
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) is necessary to make possible a DEMO of the Advanced Tokamak (AT) type after ITER. One candidate, Fusion Nuclear Science Facility-AT (FNSF-AT), should have neutron wall loading of 1-2 MW/m2, continuous operation for periods of up to two weeks, a duty factor goal of 0.3 on a year and neutron fluence of 3-6 MW-yr/m2 in ten years to enable development of blankets suitable for tritium and electricity production while demonstrating nearly all the critical elements necessary for the qualification and design of a DEMO. FNSF-AT, also called FDF, will be designed using conservative implementations of all elements of AT physics to produce 150-300MW fusion power with modest energy gain (Q<7) in a modest sized normal conducting coil device. It will demonstrate and its results will help in the selection of the DEMO tritium breeding blanket concept. It will demonstrate the tritium fuel cycle, the behavior of candidate plasma facing materials, and the design and cooling of the first wall chamber and divertor components. It will also provide experience in safe operation and remote maintenance necessary for the DEMO design.