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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
T. Q. Hua, M. J. Knott, L. R. Turner, R. B. Wehrle
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 1047-1052
Plasma Heating and System Dynamics | Proceedings of the Seveth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Reno, Nevada, June 15–19, 1986) | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24872
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During plasma disruptions in a tokamak fusion reactor, eddy currents are induced in the limiters and other conducting structures surrounding the plasma. Interactions between these currents with the toroidal field causes deflection and stress in the structural components. The structural motion in the strong magnetic field induces additional eddy current opposing the initial eddy current and modifying subsequent structural dynamics. Therefore, the motion and current are coupled and must be solved simultaneously. The coupling between current and deflection in cantilevered beams was investigated experimentally. The beams provide a simple model for the limiter blade of a tokamak fusion reactor. Several test pieces and various magnetic field conditions were employed to study the extend of the coupling effect from weak to strong coupling. Experimental results were compared with analytical predictions.
