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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
M. E. Abdel-Kader
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 81 | Number 6 | August 2025 | Pages 554-569
Regular Review Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2454128
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this paper, the modeling of linear plasma propulsion (LPP) using the snowplow model is presented to investigate the effect of anode length variation and atomic number of gases on plasma dynamics. The model employs four phases—axial, radial angular, reflected, and expansion—to describe both the dynamics and the propelled plasma in the LPP device. When the plasma in the LPP device is compressed and pinched, it is pushed through the extension tube that is attached to the discharge chamber. The anode length of the LPP device was varied in 2-cm increments, starting from 2 cm up to 18 cm, during the modeling process. To validate the agreement between the simulated and the experimental results, a comparison was performed using the discharge current signals. The results, as recorded in the paper, show that the propelled plasma length is not affected by variations in anode length or the atomic number of gases, while its velocity increases. However, the propelled plasma velocity decreases with the use of gases with higher atomic numbers, which also results in increased pinching time and phase time.