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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
V. Bykov, J. Zhu, A. Carls, J. Fellinger, P. van Eeten, H.-S. Bosch, L. Wegener
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 72 | Number 4 | November 2017 | Pages 546-558
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1352427
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The largest modular stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) has successfully passed commissioning and first phase of operation in Greifswald, Germany. The limiter configurations of plasma with 2.5 T of magnetic induction on the plasma axis produce already considerable loads (MN) in the W7-X systems. The sophisticated W7-X superconducting magnet system with its non-linear support system is instrumented with an extensive set of mechanical and temperature sensors. Measurement results showed that magnet system behavior is in good correspondence with original predictions from numerical models. However, several areas require modeling improvements and/or proper adjustment of parameters to reflect “as-built” situation. Moreover, high temperature dependence of strain gauge signal accuracy in the range below 10 K requires its compensation in order to avoid fault alarms during monitoring. The work is considered as benchmarking of numerical models and as a preparation for upcoming more demanding phases with longer plasma pulses to guarantee safe and reliable W7-X operation with different divertor configurations. Both results of W7-X measurements and implemented improvements as well as lessons learned so far are also given.