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Latest News
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.”
J. Phillip Sharpe, W. Jon Carmack, David A. Petti
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 1066-1070
Safety and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A11963385
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Dust and debris were collected from the Nova laser facility in April 1999 to provide evidence of particulate generation and transport mechanisms relevant to fusion power safety analyses. Samples were obtained at specified locations within the Nova chamber with a vacuum filter system, cascade impactors, and metallurgical replicating tape (acetate tape). Average surface mass density of material collected from locations with measured surface area ranges from 3.13 μg/cm2 on the mid-plane vertical surface to 3250 μg/cm2 on the vessel bottom. Estimated total dust inventory is 44 grams. Specific surface area of dust collected from several locations is nearly uniform with an average value of 0.435 m2/g. Particle size distributions of the collected material show a range of count median diameters (CMD) between 0.67 and 1.19 μm with geometric standard deviations (GSD) between 1.63 and 2.76. Mass median diameters for dust collected with the two cascade impactors are 5.26 μm and 8.85 μm. The shape of the volumetric size distribution indicates dust particles of various shapes. Composition analysis performed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated the presence of O, Al, Cu, along with trace quantities of Fe, Au, and Be. Atomic emission ICP analysis also indicated the presence of Si, O, and Cu in dust samples.