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The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
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2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
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High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
A. W. Molvik, R. W. Moir, D. D. Ryutov, T. C. Simonen
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 1 | January 2012 | Pages 70-76
Fusion | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Emerging Nuclear Energy Systems | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13399
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Axisymmetric mirrors can be MHD-stabilized by end losses. Neutral-beam-sustained operation to ~0.6, and Te~0.2 keV, with 5 ms 5 MW neutral beams on the Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT) has been demonstrated at the Budker Institute in Novosibirsk, Russia. Applications of this concept can reduce risks in the fusion program. A GDT-scale facility could test plasma-material interactions (PMI) at up to 400 MW/m2 and 5 s pulse duration for divertor development. Extrapolation of the GDT to a Dynamic Trap Neutron Source, DTNS, provides a DT-fusion neutron flux of 2 MW/m2 over 1 m2, at a power-plant efficiency of Q ~ 0.07. (A DTNS enables development and testing of materials and sub-component structures, for fusion power plants, MFE or IFE. A DTNS functions regardless of whether the tested components work. These developments would reduce risks for a tokamak Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF)). Further extrapolation to 0.2 Q 10 single-cell or tandem mirror yields several fusion-fission hybrid applications. Further extension to a pure-fusion axisymmetric-tandem-mirror power plant, requires Q>10. Tandem mirrors demand the use of different stabilization techniques that are not dependent on out-flowing plasma, a number of which have been proposed, and could be experimentally tested on the GDT.