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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.
M. P. Mauldin, E. Giraldez, J. S. Jaquez, C. H. Shearer, Jr., R. B. Stephens, D. M. Woodhouse
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 51 | Number 4 | May 2007 | Pages 626-630
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST07-A1454
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The fast ignition concept is a proposed method to reach fusion by two separate processes. The task of the first process is the compression of fuel and the second is the ignition of the compressed fuel by a rapid and directed energy deposition. One delivery method of this energy can be in the form of focused proton beams and this type of fast ignition target will be discussed. The target designs consisted of gold and plastic cones with a curved proton-generating surface (aluminum) within the cone and very close to the tip. The challenges of the given target specifications led to a new cone design consisting of a cone base and cone tip made in two pieces with the proton generating surface sandwiched between. The fabrication of these targets consisted of several steps and processes that included making PAMS shell mandrels, sputter coating deposition, electroplating, precision machining, chemical etching, and target assembly.