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Division Spotlight
Aerospace Nuclear Science & Technology
Organized to promote the advancement of knowledge in the use of nuclear science and technologies in the aerospace application. Specialized nuclear-based technologies and applications are needed to advance the state-of-the-art in aerospace design, engineering and operations to explore planetary bodies in our solar system and beyond, plus enhance the safety of air travel, especially high speed air travel. Areas of interest will include but are not limited to the creation of nuclear-based power and propulsion systems, multifunctional materials to protect humans and electronic components from atmospheric, space, and nuclear power system radiation, human factor strategies for the safety and reliable operation of nuclear power and propulsion plants by non-specialized personnel and more.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
May 2025
Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Z. S. Abd El-Salam, H. A. Eltayeb, M. E. Abdel-Kader, M. A. Abd Al-Halim
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 77 | Number 4 | May 2021 | Pages 289-297
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2021.1889920
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) is investigated in terms of direct-current discharge in a cylindrical configuration using nitrogen gas in the pressure range between 0.028 and 0.09 Torr. Discharge characteristics are determined for different anode transparencies of 84%, 92%, and 96% corresponding to 24, 12, and 6 anode rods, respectively. I-V characteristic curves indicate that the electric discharge is in the abnormal glow discharge region. The discharge voltage has the highest values for the low anode transparency for the same value of the discharge current. A double electric probe has been used to measure electron temperature and ion density. The low anode transparency (24 anode rods) enhances field uniformity and aligns the motion of electrons into a chord so that better electrostatic confinement is achieved. This will raise the ion density and lead to thermalization of the plasma, which reduces the electron temperature. The behavior of the electron temperature and the ion density was studied as a function of the gas pressure at the center and near the edge. The variation of the density and temperature in both positions can confirm the plasma confinement. In the low-pressure regime, the confinement process is reinforced. Because of the longer mean free path, electrons cause ionization at the center, which raises the ion density to about 1.44 × 1015 m−3 and the electron temperature to about 2.9 eV.