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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Latest News
DOE-NE’s newest fuel consortium includes defense from antitrust laws
The Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy is setting up a nuclear fuel Defense Production Act Consortium that will seek voluntary agreements with interested companies “to increase fuel availability, provide more access to reliable power, and end America’s reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium and critical materials needed to power the nation’s nuclear renaissance.” According to an August 22 DOE press release, the plan invokes the Defense Production Act (DPA) to give consortium members “defense from antitrust laws when certain criteria are met” and “allow industry consultation to develop plans of action.” DOE-NE is looking for interested companies to join the consortium ahead of its first meeting, scheduled for October 14.
J. Q. Ling W. D. Booth, R. Carrera, D. Tesar
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 1823-1827
Impurity Control and Plasma-Facing Component | Proceedings of the Ninth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Oak Brook, Illinois, October 7-11, 1990) | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29609
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A remote system is considered for the in-vessel maintenance of the IGNITEX device. The specified maintenance tasks include: inspection, coating repair of the first wall, and cleaning of the vacuum vessel. In this paper the conceptual design of the in-vessel remote maintenance system (IVRMS) is presented. The IVRMS consists of a manipulator chain, a series of dedicated tools as end-effectors, a control system, and a delivery system. A manipulator of snake type with 11 degrees of freedom (DOF), consisting of a toroidal chain (6 links) and a poloidal chain (3 links), is used to provide 90° toroidal reach and 360° poloidal reach in the IGNITEX vacuum vessel. The mechanical structure design of the manipulator uses light weight and compact actuator modules and carbon fiber materials for the links. The interface of the IVRMS with the IGNITEX system is described. A system control layout including the hardware and software architecture is discussed. The concept and implementation of this design provides general features for in-vessel remote maintenance of a small fusion tokamak.
