ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
Meeting Spotlight
Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
February 3–6, 2025
Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Dec 2024
Jul 2024
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
January 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Hugo E. Ferrari, Ricardo Farengo
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 56 | Number 4 | November 2009 | Pages 1512-1520
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST09-A9254
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We study the interaction of fusion-born particles and neutral beams (NBs) with field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas. The power deposited and the current generated are calculated for FRC reactors operating with the D-T and D-3He fusion reactions. In the beam studies we specify the beam energy and current, the injection point, and the impact parameter and include an ionization package to determine the position and velocity of the beam particles when they become ionized. In the case of fusion-born particles, we consider a large number of isotropic particle sources distributed inside the FRC. The plasma equilibria are obtained by solving the Grad-Shafranov equation with a pressure that contains linear and quadratic terms in the flux function. A Monte Carlo code that includes particle drag and diffusion is then employed to follow the exact trajectories of the fusion or beam particles and calculate the resulting current and deposited power. The effect of a rotating magnetic field and a toroidal field on the current and deposited power is also studied. In D-T reactors the current generated by the alpha particles is small, but the deposited power fraction is large, and NBs can produce significant currents with reasonable input powers. In D-3He reactors the fusion protons can produce large currents, but the deposited power fraction and the NB current drive efficiencies are low. A small toroidal field, compatible with high FRCs, reduces the deposited power fraction and the current.