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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
S. Papastergiou et al.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 3 | October 2011 | Pages 873-876
ITER | Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tritium Science and Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12557
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The ITER Vacuum Pumping systems are designed to pump hydrogen isotopes, including tritium, helium and impurities. The EU is responsible for the in-kind supply of 8 torus-, 2 cryostat-, 3 Heating Neutral Beam- (HNB) and 1 Diagnostic Neutral Beam- (DNB) cryopumps, their 14 Cold Valve Boxes (CVBs) and the cryolines between them as well as the Leak Detection and Localization (LD&L) systems. The design of these systems has progressed well in the past with the exception of LD&L, where the results of a significant R&D program are required to define the design. The torus and cryostat cryopumps incorporate an inlet vacuum valve capable of controlling the pumping speed and require to be sufficiently instrumented for performance and inventory control. In order to fully define the related Procurement Arrangements (PA) and minimize any technological, programmatic or cost risks, a 1:1 Pre-Production cryopump (PPC) has been planned to be built and tested as well as a series of necessary R&D activities will need to be performed. These activities will address all technological challenges, specify the instrumentation needs of these Vacuum Pumping systems and analyze their performance, incorporating also all safety provisions and remote handling requirements.