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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Charles F. Karlson
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 121 | Number 1 | September 1995 | Pages 57-66
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE95-A24129
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method for the generation of in-core constants from the SIMULATE-3 advanced reactor analysis code is presented. This method builds on prior work at the Southern California Edison Company for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and is now applied to the Combustion Engineering System 80 units at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS). Power-to-signal ratios, assembly coupling coefficients, pin peaking factors, and Fourier Series analysis are shown to reproduce the SIMULATE-3 solution extremely well. Correction of SIMULATE-3 calculated in-core detector fluxes and cross sections for rhodium shielding and homogeneous-to-heterogeneous geometries are discussed. Calculated and measured detector signals are compared to confirm the ability to calculate the rhodium reaction rates needed for the power-to-signal ratio and are found to be within 2%.Core maximum power peaking factors and a radial assembly power distribution for PVNGS Unit 3 cycle 5 show excellent agreement with differences <2% in maximum power locations. This work is the basis for future improved reactor surveillance methods, with the realization of significant thermal margin gains from reduced uncertainties in the core protection system.