Comparative Maps of Safety Features for Fission and Fusion Reactors

Abstract The differences between nuclear fission and fusion have been discussed widely in the literature. However, little has been done to investigate the key differences in safety designs and regulatory requirements between the nuclear reactor types. In this study, an innovative methodology was successfully developed to map nuclear safety features to the fundamental safety principles set out by the nuclear regulators. Three safety cases were assessed in the mapping study, a research fusion reactor (Joint European Torus), a research fission reactor (Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor) and a commercial fission reactor (Hinkley Point C). The graphical representation allowed a comparative analysis of the safety features and fundamental principles which revealed differences between the hazard profiles of fission and fusion reactors and provided important insights for the creation of a similar map for a future commercial fusion device.</jats:p

Conceptual design of test devices for the JHR tailored to the needs of the nuclear fusion community

International audienceSince 2015, within the scope of the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR) project a collaborative effort between CCFE in the UK and CEA in France has been undertaken to investigate concepts of test devices for the JHR suitable for the needs of fusion researchers. It is hoped that in having optimized experimental devices designed will facilitate use of the JHR by the fusion community.The project chose to focus on more instrumented test devices as it was felt that post-irradiation examination (PIE) type experiments at conventional temperatures could be undertaken with limited modifications to existing test devices. After internal exploration of the options, three potential test devices were identified; i) testing of ceramic functional materials; ii) testing at cryogenic temperatures; and iii) testing of thermo-mechanical fatigue. Each of these devices has been conceptually designed, demonstrating feasibility.This paper describes each of the conceptual designs at their current level of maturity. Future collaborative work planned between the two parties will aim to develop these devices further

OpenChemistry/tomviz: Tomviz 1.0.0

Our first stable release of Tomviz offering image pre-processing, image alignment, reconstruction, segmentation, visualization and analysis. Download Tomviz for Windows, macOS, and Linux or access the full source code. This release is the result of years of development, collaboratively developed by software experts and domain experts. It offers a reproducible data pipeline with editable Python data operators, highly optimized routines, and state-of-the-art volume rendering/geometry rendering. Import and export data using industry standard formats such as TIFF, MRC, and EMD. The entire processing pipeline can be saved, restored and/or shared for further analysis by peers. The final results can also be saved as screenshots, movies, or interactive HTML5 pages using the latest advances in WebGL. Developed collaboratively, with full access to the source code for the project and its dependencies. Our Python environment is integrated, offering NumPy, SciPy along with Python-wrapped VTK and ITK. Data samples are provided with the application, as well as a bundled guide to getting started with Tomviz