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Latest News
Securing the advanced reactor fleet
Physical protection accounts for a significant portion of a nuclear power plant’s operational costs. As the U.S. moves toward smaller and safer advanced reactors, similar protection strategies could prove cost prohibitive. For tomorrow’s small modular reactors and microreactors, security costs must remain appropriate to the size of the reactor for economical operation.
Robert Cook, Steven R. Buckley, Evelyn Fearon, Stephen A. Letts
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 35 | Number 2 | March 1999 | Pages 206-211
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST99-A11963924
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We report on a new method using heated density gradient columns for preparing spherical poly(α-methylstyrene) (PαMS) bead mandrels for inertial confinement fusion spherical shell targets. Using 1,2 propane diol/glycerol mixtures, stable density gradient columns for supporting PαMS beads can be prepared at temperatures as high as 150 °C. At these temperatures plasticized commercial beads become fluid and spherical, however loss of the plasticizer and very low molecular weight components of the bead due to limited solubility in the column fluid leads to surface finish problems. We also present results on PαMS beads prepared in an aqueous bath batch mode. Using these techniques beads with maximum out-of-rounds less than 5 μm have been produced.