ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2024
Jan 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Proving DRACO will deliver
The United States is now closer than it has been in over five decades to launching the first nuclear thermal rocket into space, thanks to DRACO—the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Orbit.
Jérôme Bucalossi, Tore Supra Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 46 | Number 1 | July 2004 | Pages 184-191
Technical Paper | Stellarators | doi.org/10.13182/FST04-A554
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During winter 2001-2002, the Tore Supra tokamak went through a major upgrade to provide a heat extraction capability of 25 MW in steady state (composants internes et limiteur project). In the new configuration, the operational domain has experienced a rapid extension. Indeed, discharges of more than 4 min have been performed with a world-record-breaking discharge accounting for 0.75 GJ of injected/extracted energy. Stationary discharges with fully noninductively driven current are performed routinely (typical parameters: plasma current, 0.52 MA; toroidal magnetic field, 4 T; lower hybrid power, ~3 MW, electron line density, 2.5 × 1019 m-2), limited in duration by the original lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) system. Ion cyclotron waves [ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH)] have been coupled to plasma for 1 min in combination with LHCD in a higher-density scenario (Greenwald fraction of 0.8, 0.11 GJ of injected ICRH power for 0.42 GJ total injected power) and with a substantial fraction of bootstrap current (15 to 20%). Electron cyclotron current drive experiments are also carried out: A new world record of electron cyclotron injected energy has been established in a single electron cyclotron resonance heating pulse of 32 s (25 MJ). In these discharges, stable central electron temperature oscillations sometimes appear, probably due to the interplay between heat transport and current drive. Density profile peaking is observed despite the absence of toroidal electric field, suggesting the existence of a turbulent inward pinch. Finally, particle balance analyses indicate that the in-vessel deuterium inventory never reaches saturation. Many carbon deposits and flakes have been found in the inner vessel, possibly playing a role in the fuel retention.