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Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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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Fusion Science and Technology
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Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Jared P. Squire, Franklin R. Chang Díaz, F. Wally Baity, Glenn C. Barber, Mark D. Carter, Richard H. Goulding, Dennis Sparks, Greg McCaskill, Andrew V. Ilin, Roger D. Bengtson, Robert G. Bussell, Jr, Verlin T. Jacobson, Tim W. Glover
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 35 | Number 1 | January 1999 | Pages 243-247
Oral Presentations | doi.org/10.13182/FST99-A11963860
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Advanced Space Propulsion Laboratory (ASPL) is developing a Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) using a Radio Frequency (RF) heated magnetic mirror operated asymmetrically. The system comprises of three stages: 1) plasma ionization and injection into the magnetic system; 2) ion heating by action of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH); 3) plasma exhaust through a magnetic nozzle. The central experimental device is a small versatile tandem mirror configured system. The system can also be easily reconfigured to operate as a simple mirror. The total length of the device is 3.2 m, and the maximum magnetic field is 3.0 T. The exhaust end connects to a 5 m vacuum chamber where we are installing a 40,000 liter/second pumping capacity. Radio frequency power is available at approximately 3 MHz at up to 200 kW. A set of plasma diagnostics is being developed and installed, starting with two fast reciprocating probes, one quadruple Langmuir and one Mach.2 We are now evaluating the use of a helicon3 RF plasma source for an efficient ionization stage of the system. Initial results from experiments using a single double-half turn antenna are presented. In addition, we are exploring the use of a Lorentz Force Accelerator (LFA) as a plasma injector source.4
