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Fusion Science and Technology
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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.”
K. Sathyanarayana, S. V. Kulkarni, Amit Patel, Pujita Bhatt, Alpesh Vala, Hiren Mewada, Keyur Mahant
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 75 | Number 3 | April 2019 | Pages 234-243
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2018.1557984
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The impact of geometric tolerances of the mode converters on the microwave performance of the respective mode converters is studied. It is used as a guiding principle for stipulating the fabrication tolerances on various high-power microwave components. To carry out the simulation studies, Microwave Studio- Computer Simulation Technology software has been used. All the mode converters and transmission line components have been designed and benchmarked using simulation studies. The TE-03 to TE-02 (TE-mn where m and n are radial and azimuthal variation of fields) mode converter is taken as an example. The predicted microwave performance with estimated geometric tolerances is elucidated. Details of the same are available in the various microwave performance plots. Similar simulation studies have been carried out on the other mode converters. The results of the same are highlighted and summarized. Further, the microwave performance of these high-power components with respect to the fabrication tolerances on the internal diameter is also explored and highlighted. It has been found that by and large the cumulative mechanical tolerances on the total length, structural profile inside the mode converter, radius of the mode converter, and other mechanical dimensions are stringent. Based on the simulation studies, cumulative mechanical tolerances beyond approximately ±100 µm during fabrication are not preferred. The aim to obtain the finished product based on the guidelines from simulation studies has been the main theme of the exercise.