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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The journey of the U.S. fuel cycle
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
While most big journeys begin with a clear objective, they rarely start with an exact knowledge of the route. When commissioning the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson didn’t provide specific “turn right at the big mountain” directions to the Corps of Discovery. He gave goal-oriented instructions: explore the Missouri River, find its source, search for a transcontinental water route to the Pacific, and build scientific and cultural knowledge along the way.
Jefferson left it up to Lewis and Clark to turn his broad, geopolitically motivated guidance into gritty reality.
Similarly, U.S. nuclear policy has begun a journey toward closing the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle. There is a clear signal of support for recycling from the Trump administration, along with growing bipartisan excitement in Congress. Yet the precise path remains unclear.
I.P. Maksimkin, А.А. Yukhimchuk, I.Ye. Boitsov, I.L. Malkov, R.К. Musyaev, А.Yu. Baurin, Е.V. Shevnin, А.V. Vertey
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 67 | Number 2 | March 2015 | Pages 459-462
Proceedings of TRITIUM 2013 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-T54
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The paper presents research results of permeability of hydrogen isotopes through CrNi35WTiAl alloy containing radiogenic helium, and results of hydrogen and radiogenic helium impact on mechanical properties of this alloy. The impact of hydrogen and radiogenic helium on mechanical properties of CrNi35WTiAl alloy was determined by tensile tests of cylindrical samples in inert and hydrogen atmospheres. For this research samples with various concentrations of 3He (90, 230 and 560 appm) were prepared. The buildup of 3He has been fulfilled using the “tritium trick” technique. Maximal influencing of hydrogen and radiogenic helium on mechanical properties of CrNi35WTiAl was observed at 873 K on samples with 560 appm of 3He. Testing of permeability of hydrogen isotopes was made in temperature range from 723 to 973 K.
