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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Groundwater data pave the way for Environmental Management Disposal Facility at Oak Ridge
Results of a two-year study of groundwater levels at the site of the planned Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., have been released, revealing that the levels fell at a slower-than-expected rate. The collection of data on groundwater levels during two wet seasons, conducted by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and the contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge, formed the core of a groundwater field demonstration study which will help inform the final design of the EMDF landfill.
J. A. Goetz, M. W. Bongard, S. J. Diem, J. K. Peery
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 82 | Number 1 | January-February 2026 | Pages 56-63
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2456893
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Pegasus-III is a solenoid-free, low-aspect-ratio spherical tokamak (ST) focused on studying nonsolenoidal plasma initiation techniques. It will be equipped with multiple helicity injection (HI) systems and a 28-GHz gyrotron-based system for electron Bernstein wave (EBW) and electron cyclotron (EC) heating and current drive. Microwave injection can provide heating during HI to reduce losses from resistive dissipation. Microwave heating and current drive techniques are also candidates for noninductive plasma initiation, ramp up, and sustainment on their own. STs are well-suited for EBW heating and current drive because a large volume of the plasma is overdense. During low-density startup, ST plasmas can remain accessible to EC waves for heating and current drive. To aid in the design of this microwave system, a synthetic aperture microwave imaging diagnostic is being fielded for the first exploration of EBW emission measurements from HI-generated plasmas. This diagnostic will be used to identify effective operational windows for EBWs. Modeling using the GENRAY code has been performed to assess the viability of these EBW mode conversion and EC methods. Modeling results indicate that both methods can be successfully used in Pegasus-III plasmas.