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Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2025)
May 4–8, 2025
Huntsville, AL|Huntsville Marriott and the Space & Rocket Center
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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!
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Delivering new nuclear on time, the first time
Mark Rinehart
The nuclear industry is entering a period of renewed urgency, driven by the need for stable baseload power, heightened energy security concerns, and expanded defense infrastructure. Now more than ever, we must deliver new nuclear projects on time and on budget to maintain public trust and industry momentum.
The importance of execution certainty cannot be overstated—public trust, industry investment, and future deployment all hinge on our ability to deliver these projects successfully. However, history has shown that cost overruns and schedule delays have eroded confidence in the industry’s ability to deliver nuclear construction. As we embark on many first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactor builds, fuel cycle infrastructure projects, and extensive defense-related nuclear projects, we must ensure that execution certainty is no longer an aspiration—it is an expectation.
Aaron Aoyama, James Blanchard, John Sethian, Nasr Ghoniem, Shahram Sharafat
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 56 | Number 1 | July 2009 | Pages 435-440
IFE Drivers and Chambers | Eighteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST09-A8940
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In support of the High Average Power Laser (HAPL) project the Electra Laser, a KrF Gas Laser system is being developed at NRL. The laser uses high voltage (500 - 800 keV), high current (100 - 500 kA), short pulse (100 - 600 ns) electron beams to pump the 0.14 MPa (20 psi) pressurized KrF gas cell, which is separated from the vacuum region by a 25 m-thick stainless steel foil, the Hibachi Foil. The foil is made of SUS304, operates between 180 °C and 450 °C, and has typical dimensions of about 0.3 m × 1.0 m. The laser pulses at up to 5 Hz, and the foil is subjected to repetitive thermal and mechanical stresses. In typical experiments, the foil lasts 1000 - 20,000 shots before suffering a catastrophic failure. In an attempt to improve foil performance a variety of design modifications are being considered along with changes in foil material. Earlier Hibachi foil designs used flat foils resting on 0.3 m long square water-cooled supporting ribs (1 cm wide). There is a 3.4 cm gap between ribs. . Advanced Hibachi foil concepts are under development using a scalloped foil design. In this paper we report on the comparative thermo-mechanical analysis between flat and scalloped foil geometries. It is demonstrated that the scalloped design reduces stresses to within yield limits of the stainless steel material.
