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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Leonard Myatt, D. E. Williamson, H. M. Fan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 4 | May 2005 | Pages 916-920
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Fusion Materials | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A805
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A detailed electromagnetic-structural ANSYS analysis of the NCSX Modular Coil (MC) system is presented. The simplified (linear) model is used to provide some insights into the essential behavior of the modular coil. In the actual device, the winding packs are Vacuum Pressure Impregnated (VPI'd) in-place and restrained by 50+ clamps per coil. In general, JxB Lorentz forces press the winding pack (WP) onto the structure which makes the linear (''glued'') approach justifiable. The benefit, of course, is relatively fast computer run-times and a modeling tool which is able to perform numerous design studies. However, there are regions where the electromagnetic (EM) forces point away from the structure and locally invalidate the glued approximation.The results of a variety of design studies are presented, such as the structural stiffness and worst case running loads at the poloidal breaks, non-ideal coil center displacements from thermal contractions and structural loads, smeared winding pack and winding form stresses, and the effects of supporting the convoluted MC ''wings'' with the neighboring shell. Critical results are illustrated with contour plots, and where possible, compared to the NCSX structural design criteria.