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Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2023)
February 6–9, 2023
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
February 2023
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
A review of workforce trends in the nuclear community
The nuclear community is undergoing a moment of unprecedented interest and growth not seen in decades. The passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act are providing a multitude of new funding opportunities for the nuclear community, and not just the current fleet. A mix of technologies and reactor types are being evaluated and deployed, with Vogtle Units 3 and 4 coming on line later this year, the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Projects of X-energy and TerraPower, and NuScale’s work with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems to build a first-of-a-kind small modular reactor, making this is an exciting time to join the nuclear workforce.
K. Holtrop, D. Buchenauer, C. Chrobak, C. Murphy, R. Nygren, E. Unterberg, M. Zach
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 72 | Number 4 | November 2017 | Pages 634-639
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1347456
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Future tokamak devices are envisioned to utilize a high-Z metal divertor with tungsten as the leading candidate. However, tokamak experiments with tungsten divertors have seen significant detrimental effects on plasma performance. The DIII-D tokamak presently has carbon as the plasma facing surface but to study the effect of tungsten on the plasma and its migration around the vessel, two toroidal rows of carbon tiles in the divertor region were modified with high-Z metal inserts, composed of a molybdenum alloy (TZM) coated with tungsten. A dedicated two week experimental campaign was run with the high-Z metal inserts. One row was coated with tungsten containing naturally occurring levels of isotopes. The second row was coated with tungsten where the isotope 182W was enhanced from the natural level of 26% up to greater than 90%. The different isotopic concentrations enabled the experiment to differentiate between the two different sources of metal migration from the divertor. Various coating methods were explored for the deposition of the tungsten coating, including chemical vapor deposition, electroplating, vacuum plasma spray, and electron beam physical vapor deposition. The coatings were tested to see if they were robust enough to act as a divertor target for the experiment. Tests included cyclic thermal heating using a high power laser and high-fluence deuterium plasma bombardment. The issues associate with the design of the inserts (tile installation, thermal stress, arcing, leading edges, surface preparation, etc.), are reviewed. The results of the tests used to select the coating method and preliminary experimental observations are presented.