ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
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.
Jason Oakley, Mark Anderson, Ed Marriott, Jesse Gudmundson, Kumar Sridharan, Virginia Vigil, Gary Rochau, Riccardo Bonazza
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 52 | Number 4 | November 2007 | Pages 943-947
Technical Paper | Inertial Fusion Technology: Drivers and Advanced Designs | doi.org/10.13182/FST07-A1615
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A liquid pool, with and without void fractions, was subjected to dynamic compression testing in a vertical shock tube to model the bubbly-pool concept being considered for use in an inertial fusion energy reactor. Water and oil were used to model the FliBe coolant that collects at the bottom of the chamber and serves as first wall protection at that location. The experiments (shock strengths M = 1.4, 2.0, and 3.1) were conducted in atmospheric pressure argon, and argon was bubbled through the liquid to achieve void fractions of 5-15% in the 30.4 cm deep pool. Pressure measurements were taken in the pool at intervals of 2.54 cm to measure the effect of void fraction on the pool compression and the compression wave traveling through the liquid. The presence of the gas voids in the liquid had a strong effect on the dynamic pressure loading but did not reduce the shock impulse significantly at the low and intermediate Mach numbers, but did exhibit a mitigating effect at the higher shock strength. A very high void fraction foam was also studied that resulted in a 22% reduction of the shock wave impulse.