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Task force charts growing interest in civilian maritime nuclear applications
Readers of Nuclear News will have heard of historical applications of civilian maritime nuclear power, like the merchant ship NS Savannah and the USS Sturgis floating power plant. With a few exceptions there has been little action in this area for over 50 years, and there are plenty of reasons and opinions as to why, but over the last few years the dramatic increase in interest from the maritime industry and its stakeholders has been undeniable.
Thomas M. Miller
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 198 | Number 2 | February 2024 | Pages 423-434
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2023.2208648
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The European Spallation Source (ESS) is a pulsed spallation neutron source currently being built in Lund, Sweden. At full power and beam energy, ESS will accelerate protons to 2 GeV at 5 MW (average pulse current of 62.5 mA, pulse length of 2.86 ms, and repetition rate of 14 Hz) onto a rotating, helium-cooled, tungsten target. This target is in a heavily shielded structure referred to as the target monolith, which is located inside the ESS target building. Directly on top of the target monolith shielding is a room referred to as the connection cell, which contains many important utility connections and control systems. Many connections from components in the target monolith, e.g., cooling water and electrical connections, exit the monolith into the connection cell and pass through the walls of the connection cell to reach other areas of ESS. When the accelerator is operating at ESS, the connection cell will be off limits to humans. This paper evaluates the prompt dose rates to several important materials in the connection cell and suggests an algorithm for evaluating the suitability of materials that might be used in the connection cell.