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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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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
L. El-Guebaly et al.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 3 | April 2005 | Pages 432-439
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Experimental Devices and Advanced Designs | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A725
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is widely recognized among stellarator researchers that the minimum distance between the plasma boundary and the middle of the coil (min) is of great importance for stellarators as it impacts the machine parameters considerably. Techniques for minimizing the radial build have made impressive progress during the first year of the ARIES-CS study. A novel approach has been developed for ARIES-CS where the blanket at the critical area surrounding min has been replaced by a highly efficient WC-based shield. As a result, an appreciable 20-90 cm savings in the radial build has been achieved, reducing the major radius by more than 20%, which is significant. The economic benefit of this approach is yet to be determined and the added engineering problems and complexity will be addressed during the remaining period of the study. This paper covers the details of the radial build optimization process that contributed to the compactness of ARIES-CS. Compared with previous designs, the major radius of ARIES-CS has more than halved, dropping from 24 m to less than 10 m, making a step forward toward the feasibility of a compact stellarator power plant.