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DOE announces NEPA exclusion for advanced reactors
The Department of Energy has announced that it is establishing a categorical exclusion for the application of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures to the authorization, siting, construction, operation, reauthorization, and decommissioning of advanced nuclear reactors.
According to the DOE, this significant change, which goes into effect today, “is based on the experience of DOE and other federal agencies, current technologies, regulatory requirements, and accepted industry practice.”
H. Oomura, M. Akiyama, K. Hiya
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 8 | Number 1 | July 1985 | Pages 625-629
Blanket and First-Wall Engineering | Proceedings of the Sixth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (San Francisco, California, March 3-7, 1985) | doi.org/10.13182/FST85-A40109
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The lifetime evaluation study for a fusion reactor first wall was performed using newly developed one-dimensional analysis code. Since the in-vessel components are exposed to a severe and complex environment, the evaluation of their lifetime is required for the design of fusion reactors. In the present paper, the first wall was assumed to be a flat plate and free to expand but not bend. Linear fracture mechanies was used to investigate the crack growth behavior and parametric surveillance was performed changing the swelling rate, initial crack length and wall loading. It is concluded that 1) the crack growth from the plasma side will limit the lifetime of the first wall, and 2) fracture toughness and initial crack length are the most important limiting factors for the first wall lifetime.