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State news: Microreactors, legislation, executive orders, and more
Discussions and actions on nuclear energy have penetrated several state capitol buildings, congressional hearings, and industry gatherings across the United States this month, including in Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York.
T. Tajima, A. Necas, G. Mourou, S. Gales, M. Leroy
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 77 | Number 4 | May 2021 | Pages 251-265
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2021.1889918
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We introduce a concept of laser-generated neutrons to transmute transuranic elements separated from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and dissolved in a molten salt to form a subcritical core whose liquid state allows and facilitates safety, laser irradiation, and monitoring of chemical and physical properties. In this transmutation concept (the transmutator), the neutrons are generated via beam-target fusion whereas the beam is created by laser irradiation of nanometric foils through the Coherent Acceleration of Ions by Laser (CAIL) process. This relatively low deuteron energy is catapulted by fusion and eventually by secondary fission processes. The combination of the use of molten salt and laser allows us to introduce rapid feedback control of the system’s operation. The transmutator is an integral part of the partitioning and transmutation concept whereby the radiotoxicity of SNF is significantly reduced together with the required storage duration and volume. To enable this transmutator, we introduce integrated ideas and processes in the areas of lasers, neutronics, first-wall material, and chemistry.