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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.
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April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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Argonne research aims to improve nuclear fuel recycling and metal recovery
Servis
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are investigating a used nuclear fuel recycling technology that could lead to a scaled-down and more efficient approach to metal recovery, according to a recent news article from the lab. The research, led by Argonne radiochemist Anna Servis with funding from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), could have an impact beyond the nuclear fuel cycle and improve other high-value metal processing, such as rare earth recovery, according to Argonne.
The research: Servis’s work is being carried out under ARPA-E’s CURIE (Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy) program. The specific project—Radioisotope Capture Intensification Using Rotating Packed Bed Contactors—started in 2023 and is scheduled to end in January 2026.
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.