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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
U.S. nuclear fuel recycling takes two steps forward
Late last week saw two announcements from companies working to recycle used nuclear fuel on a commercial scale, providing welcome news to anyone hoping to see the United States move to unlock the hidden potential of the more than 94,000 metric tons of spent fuel stored at power plant sites around the country.
Matthew Bono, Don Bennett, Carlos Castro, Joe Satcher, John Poco, Bill Brown, Harry Martz, Nick Teslich, Robin Hibbard, Alex Hamza, Peter Amendt, Harry Robey, Jose Milovich, Russell Wallace
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 51 | Number 4 | May 2007 | Pages 611-625
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST07-A1453
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Indirectly driven double shell implosions are being investigated as a possible noncryogenic path to ignition on the National Ignition Facility. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has made several technological advances that have produced double shell targets that represent a significant improvement to previously fielded targets. The inner capsule is supported inside the ablator shell by SiO2 aerogel with a nominal density of 50 mg/cm3. The aerogel is cast around the inner capsule and then machined concentric to it. The seamless sphere of aerogel containing the embedded capsule is then assembled between the two halves of the ablator shell. The concentricity between the two shells has been improved to less than 1.5 m. The ablator shell consists of two hemispherical shells that mate at a step joint that incorporates a gap with a nominal thickness of 0.1 m. Using a new flexure-based tool holder that precisely positions the diamond cutting tool on the diamond turning machine, step discontinuities on the inner surface of the ablator of less than 0.5 m have been achieved. New methods have been used to comprehensively characterize each of the targets using high-resolution x-ray imaging systems.