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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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ANS panel discussion looks at nuclear’s place in maritime, energy, medicine, space
The applications of nuclear energy extend beyond providing power to the electrical grid. Advanced nuclear technologies may soon have new applications in oil and gas facilities, in hospitals and clinics, on the open seas, and on the moon.
A June 1 executive session, “How Nuclear Technologies will Shape the Future Energy Economy,” at the American Nuclear Society’s Annual Conference allowed experts have an open discussion on the future of nuclear advancements in multiple sectors.
J. Chao, B. B. Miki, N. E. Todreas
Nuclear Technology | Volume 45 | Number 2 | September 1979 | Pages 113-120
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32302
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effects on heating and tritium breeding of using different coolants and structural arrangements have been investigated for tokamak fusion reactors. Coolants considered are lithium, helium, and flibe (a molten salt, LiF-BeF2 eutectic). Structural arrangements are modeled by using four 20-cm breeding zones between a 0.5-cm-thick first wall and a 10-cm graphite reflector. Different values for the volume percent of Type 316 stainless steel are assigned in four breeding zones to represent a nonuniformly distributed structural material that satisfies various thermal-hydraulic requirements. For a 10% average volume percent stainless steel in the blanket filled with lithium, the difference in breeding ratio between having a uniform structural distribution and a slant distribution is 4%. The difference in breeding ratio where the value of albedo at the outer edge of the graphite zone is changed from 0.0 to 0.45 is 1%. Little difference in volumetric heat generation rates between using lithium and helium as coolants is observed. For a flibe-cooled blanket, the volumetric heat generation rate is higher near the first wall and lower near the reflector region than the lithium- and helium-cooled blankets. The effects on heat generation of different structural distributions and different albedos are insignificant. For values of volume percent of stainless steel in the breeding zone ranging from 5 to 15%, the breeding ratios range from 1.481 to 1.256 for lithium, 1.372 to 1.184 for helium, and 1.349 to 1.191 for flibe.