ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
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
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
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2025
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.
E. Bertolini, P. L. Mondino, P. Noll
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 11 | Number 1 | January 1987 | Pages 71-119
Technical Paper | JET Project | doi.org/10.13182/FST87-A25001
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During a Joint European Torus pulse, the main tokamak loads [the toroidal coils, the transformer coils, the plasma equilibrium coils, and the additional heating devices (not described in this work)] require a total amount of energy of 10000 MJ and a peak power in excess of 1000 MW. The main power source is the U.K.'s Central Electricity Generating Boards' electric power system supplemented by two identical local motor flywheel generators. Since the tokamak loads require a direct-current (dc) supply, the alternating-current power from the energy sources is converted into dc by a combination of thyristor bridges (static units for the plasma position and shaping control, for the additional heating devices, and partially for the toroidal coils) and diode bridges, directly connected to the output of the two generators for the tokamak transformer coils and partially for the toroidal coils. The ohmic heating circuit modulates the flow of power from the flywheel generator to the transformer coils, and its duty is to establish and control the plasma current: It can deliver currents up to 80 kA and supply voltages up to 40 kV. Together with the static units (poloidal vertical, poloidal radial, and poloidal shaping magnetic field amplifiers) to control the plasma position and shape, it constitutes the poloidal circuit. The toroidal circuit is made up of two toroidal field (TF) static units and by the other flywheel generator conventor: It produces and controls the TF current during the pulse, with a maximum current of 67 kA and maximum voltage of 9 kV. The operation of the power supplies is coordinated by the control and data acquisition system (CODAS), which supplies approximate waveforms to each power supply controller, following a predetermined sequence of commands issued by the central timing system. The plasma position and current control is made up of a feedback system built in a conventional way, using magnetic probes and flux loops as sensors and analog electronics for measurement of position, comparitors, and controllers. The control voltages are transmitted to the power sources of the poloidal field to control plasma current, plasma position, and shape. Experimental evidence of the correct functioning of all power supplies and of their control is given by summarizing the key features of a 3.65-MA pulse.