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In transition: Commercializing fusion power
Commercial fusion power is closer than ever. There are now around 30 U.S. fusion companies, several of which claim to be on track to connect to the grid as early as the 2030s.
Tokamak and laser inertial confinement approaches benefit from decades of research at facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and ITER, with alternative concepts including stellarator, magnetic mirror, and Z-pinch confinement also making notable progress as private and government funding for fusion increases.
R. C. Lloyd, S. R. Bierman, E. D. Clayton, B. M. Durst
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 78 | Number 2 | June 1981 | Pages 121-125
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE81-A20098
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A series of experiments was performed to determine the effect of gadolinium as a soluble neutron absorber on the criticality of fuel rod assemblies in uranyl nitrate solution. The gadolinium in the form of Gd(NO3)s was mixed with uranyl nitrate solution. The lattice assemblies were composed of 4.3 wt% 235U-enriched UO2 pellets contained in stainless steel tubes immersed in the uranyl nitrate solution of the same 235U enrichment. Lattice assemblies with center-to-center fuel rod separations of 22.9, 27.9, and 33.0 mm were utilized in this study. In each case, a preset number of fuel rods was positioned in the assembly vessel and uranyl nitrate subsequently added, with the measurement then being of the depth of solution required for criticality. The uranyl nitrate was limited to the fuel-rod-bearing region of the lattice assemblies that were, in turn, reflected with water. Data on integral critical experiments are provided against which calculational techniques can be checked.