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Division Spotlight
Accelerator Applications
The division was organized to promote the advancement of knowledge of the use of particle accelerator technologies for nuclear and other applications. It focuses on production of neutrons and other particles, utilization of these particles for scientific or industrial purposes, such as the production or destruction of radionuclides significant to energy, medicine, defense or other endeavors, as well as imaging and diagnostics.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
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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Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
ARPA-E announces $40 million to develop transmutation technologies for UNF
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced $40 million in funding to develop cutting-edge technologies to enable the transmutation of used nuclear fuel into less-radioactive substances. According to ARPA-E, the new initiative addresses one of the agency’s core goals as outlined by Congress: to provide transformative solutions to improve the management, cleanup, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.
J.-L. Duchateau, M. Coatanea, B. Lacroix, S. Nicollet, D. Ciazynski, P. Bayetti
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 64 | Number 4 | November 2013 | Pages 705-710
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-A24089
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The quench of one of the ITER magnet systems is an irreversible transition of the conductor from superconducting to normal resistive state. The normal zone propagates along the cable-in-conduit conductor, dissipating a large power. The detection has to be fast enough (1 to 2 s) to initiate the dumping of the magnetic energy and avoid irreversible damage of the systems.The experience of CEA is based on the operation of the superconducting tokamak Tore Supra for more than 20 years. In support of ITER, CEA was also very involved in quench detection investigations during these past 3 years.The primary quench detection in ITER is based on voltage detection, the most rapid detection. The very magnetically disturbed environment during a plasma scenario makes the voltage detection particularly difficult, inducing large inductive components across the pulsed coils (10 kV) or coil subcomponents. Voltage compensations therefore have to be designed to discriminate the resistive voltage associated with the quench.A secondary detection based on a thermohydraulic signals system also has to be investigated to protect the environment in case of a nondetected quench, especially for the largest ITER system, which is the toroidal field system with a stored energy of 40 GJ.