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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Latest News
ANS joins others in seeking to discuss SNF/HLW impasse
The American Nuclear Society joined seven other organizations to send a letter to Energy Secretary Christopher Wright on July 8, asking to meet with him to discuss “the restoration of a highly functioning program to meet DOE’s legal responsibility to manage and dispose of the nation’s commercial and legacy defense spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW).”
Timothy R. Gosnell, James K. Hoffer
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 45 | Number 4 | June 2004 | Pages 567-572
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST04-A531
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Estimates of the time-to-melt for cryogenic DT inertial fusion targets in the presence of thermal radiation are presented. This time is defined as that required for thermal radiation in a hypothetical reactor to raise the temperature of small polymer capsules containing solid DT by 1 K and to fully liquefy the contents. The time estimates are in turn based on estimates of the infrared absorption spectra of both solid DT and the polymer capsule material. Assuming typical target dimensions and rapid equilibration of the target temperature, the estimates show that the absorption of thermal radiation and subsequent heating of likely capsule materials will dominate the corresponding quantities of DT ice and thus that the former effect largely determines the time-to-melt of the target. Specific estimates are made for capsules fabricated from KaptonTM polyimide. Comparisons are also made for capsules coated with reflective metal coatings, and the potential benefit of these coatings is discussed.