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Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
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Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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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Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Robert B. Campbell, L. John Perkins
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 16 | Number 3 | November 1989 | Pages 383-387
Special Section Content | Cold Fusion Technical Notes | doi.org/10.13182/FST89-A29130
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In response to the startling announcement of fusion reactions occurring at room temperature by Fleischmann and Pons (F-P), the possible role of high-current densities in producing neutrons and excess heat in deuterated titanium maintained near ambient temperatures and pressures is examined. The apparatus used consists of a balanced resistive circuit containing a deuterated “active” element and a hydrogenated “control” element. The use of a simple electrical circuit (no electrolysis) with elements made of chemically stable TiDx, X = 0.9, removes the complications involved in distinguishing between heat released by chemical versus nuclear processes in an electrolytic cell. This apparatus tests the possibility that the role of high-current density in the F-P experiments is to create such nonequilibrium states as strong pinching due to current microchanneling in the metallic lattice. This strong pinching, in turn, could reduce the deuteron-deuteron separation sufficiently to cause significant fusion. To detect neutrons, an NE-213 liquid organic scintillator spectrometer is used, with gamma counts eliminated by means of pulse-shape discrimination. Samples are subjected to current densities of ∼50 A /cm2 for time periods of 19 h. This current density is a factor of 100 greater than the largest value reported by Fleischmann and Pons. No significant neutron levels are detected above background. The temperature rise of the two samples during the application of the current can be explained by joule heating alone, with no other heat sources present. Based on these experiments, no excess heat is observed within the accuracy of the apparatus, which is estimated to be 10%. It is concluded that the large quantity of excess heat reported by Fleischmann and Pons is due to the presence of factors other than the current density.