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Fusion Science and Technology
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WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
Xiangyu Zhang, Zifeng Hou, Jie Mao, Wenqian Xu
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 81 | Number 6 | August 2025 | Pages 604-621
Regular Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2470058
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The instability of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) duct flow is crucial in related industrial applications. The laminar flow in rectangular ducts at different Hartmann numbers (Ha = 100 to 1200) and wall conductance ratios (C = 0.001 to 5), as well as for two types of nonuniform conducting walls, has been numerically simulated and the instability trend analyzed using the energy gradient theory. The results show that the stability of Hunt’s case II at the core zone increases, the most unstable region appears near the parallel layer, and the stability near the parallel layer gradually weakens as the Ha increases at a constant Reynolds number and wall conductance ratio.
Similarly, the most unstable belt gradually transfers from the Hartmann layer to near the parallel layers as the wall conductance ratio increases at constant Reynolds number and Ha. The trend of the K value demonstrates an initial decrease followed by an increase, indicating that an increase in the wall conductance ratio initially enhances stability before leading to instability.
In the simulation of two types of nonuniform conducting ducts, it was found that the most unstable region in the duct occurred near the Hartmann layer attached to the insulating wall surface, with the Kmax value significantly higher than those of the insulating and uniform conducting ducts. This indicates that the flow in the nonuniform conducting ducts is the most unstable at the same Reynolds number and Ha. This study provides a reference for understanding the internal flow characteristics and stability of MHD flow in conducting ducts.
