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Nuclear Criticality Safety
NCSD provides communication among nuclear criticality safety professionals through the development of standards, the evolution of training methods and materials, the presentation of technical data and procedures, and the creation of specialty publications. In these ways, the division furthers the exchange of technical information on nuclear criticality safety with the ultimate goal of promoting the safe handling of fissionable materials outside reactors.
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Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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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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Christmas Night
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the houseNo electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged in by the chimney with careWith the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
C. A. Frederick, A. C. Forsman, J. F. Hund, S. A. Eddinger
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 55 | Number 4 | May 2009 | Pages 499-504
Technical Paper | Eighteenth Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST55-4-499
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experiments on the Omega laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics require tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) aerogel thin films with a thickness ranging from 70 to 150 m and densities of 250 and 500 mg/cm3. Experiments have been done with the aerogel in a disk geometry with diameters ranging from ~2 to 3 mm with annular slots machined into it and without the slots. These experiments place demanding specifications on the targets in terms of thickness, dimensionality, and mass density variation. Future radiation experiments at the National Ignition Facility will require larger targets ~7 mm in diameter and 200 m thick with more complex features. In the past these targets have been conventionally machined from a starting billet of aerogel ~5 mm in diameter and height. Through a series of steps the aerogel was eventually machined down to the desired thickness. This was a long and arduous labor-intensive process that had high attrition rates and an overall yield of ~50%. We have improved this process by developing a new fabrication technique involving casting the foam to the desired thickness and then laser processing to create the desired features. This technique yields targets that meet the demanding specifications used in recent experiments while increasing throughput, yield, and available feature complexity in targets.