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Division Spotlight
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.
Meeting Spotlight
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
November 17–21, 2024
Orlando, FL|Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
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!
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Latest News
Nuclear new build procurement considerations
It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time to enhance the ability to support operations and maintenance for a new plant is before construction starts. This is one of many lessons learned by the currently operating nuclear fleet. As construction and startup of many nuclear facilities was completed, it quickly became evident that the ability to efficiently support operations and maintenance was limited. Most of the information necessary to establish and manage procurement of spare and replacement items, maintenance, and configuration of the facilities was unavailable and had to be gathered on a case-by-case, “on-demand” basis. Absence of necessary information and the associated challenges resulted in the need for staff augmentation and multiyear-long projects to develop equipment bills of material and maintenance programs and to perform technical evaluations for the huge quantities of spare and replacement items being requested.
George H. Miley, Heinrich Hora
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 75 | Number 7 | October 2019 | Pages 575-580
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2019.1622970
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The importance of the development of chirped pulse amplification (CPA) was highlighted with the award of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics to Gerard Mourou and Donna Strickland. CPA laser physics opens the way to exciting new advances in laser applications including laser fusion. As noted in this paper, its application to laser fusion enables ultrahigh power levels for ignition of laser fusion systems without requiring thermal pressures and millions of degrees centigrade. Instead, nonthermal pressures are driven by nonlinear force to create ultrahigh picosecond acceleration of plasma blocks. This paper discusses the exciting possibility of using CPA with block ignition to provide a new route for burning the environmentally clean fusion of hydrogen–boron-11 (HB-11) fuel.