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RIC panel discusses pathway to fusion commercialization
Fusion leaders at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference discussed the path forward for regulating the burgeoning fusion industry. The speakers discussed government and private industry initiatives in the United States and United Kingdom, with a focus on efforts shaping the near-term deployment of commercial fusion machines.
A recurring theme was the need to explain the difference between fission and fusion. Representatives from the Department of Energy and Type One Energy highlighted this as an important distinction for regulators, as it will allow fusion to undergo its own independent maturation process for developing standards and regulations in the same way that fission has. Lea Perlas, Fusion Program director at the Virginia Department of Health, said that confusion between fission and fusion has been a common cause for misplaced concerns among community members surrounding Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ proposed fusion plant site near Richmond, Va.
K. R. Schultz, A. R. Veca, G. A. Deis, P. Y. S. Hsu, R. E. Nygren, H. Herman
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 4 | Number 2 | September 1983 | Pages 763-768
Blanket and First Wall Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A22952
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The First Wall/Blanket/Shield (FWBS) Program has the goal to provide the development and testing of FWBS systems for magnetic fusion reactors. Program Element II of this program is to develop the thermal-hydraulic and thermomechanical data base for blanket and shield components. The critical blanket/shield data needs were identified, alternate techniques to simulate fusion neutron bulk heating were evaluated, and a detailed technical plan was developed. The initial focus is on the critical issues of solid breeder blankets. Two single effect scoping tests are currently in progress to determine the heat transfer characteristics and thermomechanical stability of the solid breeder bed. The design of an integral test to simulate all the non-nuclear aspects of the blanket has been completed. Preliminary planning for a fission reactor-based nuclear test has also been done. Future testing will investigate alternate solid breeder blanket materials and configurations and will begin the investigation of the critical MHD effects of liquid metal blanket concepts.