PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

University of Tennessee professors take big step to develop nuclear fusion power

UT researchers have successfully developed a key technology in developing an experimental fusion reactor

University of Tennessee professors take big step to develop nuclear fusion power
2012-06-11
(Press-News.org) Imagine a world without man-made climate change, energy crunches or reliance on foreign oil. It may sound like a dream world, but University of Tennessee, Knoxville, engineers have made a giant step toward making this scenario a reality.

UT researchers have successfully developed a key technology in developing an experimental reactor that can demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy for the power grid. Nuclear fusion promises to supply more energy than the nuclear fission used today but with far fewer risks.

Mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering professors David Irick, Madhu Madhukar and Masood Parang are engaged in a project involving the United States, five other nations, and the European Union, known as ITER. UT researchers completed a critical step this week for the project by successfully testing their technology this week that will insulate and stabilize the central solenoid—the reactor's backbone.

ITER is building a fusion reactor that aims to produce 10 times the amount of energy that it uses. The facility is now under construction near Cadarache, France, and will begin operations in 2020.

"The goal of ITER is to help bring fusion power to the commercial market," Madhukar said. "Fusion power is safer and more efficient than nuclear fission power. There is no danger of runaway reactions like what happened in nuclear fission reactions in Japan and Chernobyl, and there is little radioactive waste." Unlike today's nuclear fission reactors, fusion uses a similar process as that which powers the sun.

Since 2008, UT engineering professors and about 15 students have worked inside UT's Magnet Development Laboratory (MDL) located off of Pellissippi Parkway to develop technology that serves to insulate and provide structural integrity to the more than 1,000 ton central solenoid.

A tokamak reactor uses magnetic fields to confine the plasma—a hot, electrically charged gas that serves as the reactor fuel—into the shape of a torus. The central solenoid, which consists of six giant coils stacked on top of one another, plays the starring role by both igniting and steering the plasma current.

The key to unlocking the technology was finding the right material—a glass fiber and epoxy chemical mixture that is liquid at high temperatures and turns hard when cured—and the right process of inserting this material into all of the necessary spaces inside the central solenoid. The special mixture provides electrical insulation and strength to the heavy structure. The impregnation process moves the material at the right pace, factoring in temperature, pressure, vacuum and the material's flow rate.

This week, the UT team tested the technology inside its mockup of the central solenoid conductor.

"During the epoxy impregnation, we were in a race against time," said Madhukar. "With the epoxy, we have these competing parameters. The higher the temperature, the lower the viscosity; but at the same time, the higher the temperature, the shorter the working life of the epoxy."

It took two years to develop the technology, more than two days to impregnate the central solenoid mockup and multiple pairs of watchful eyes to ensure everything went according to plan.

It did.

This summer, the team's technology will be transferred to US ITER industry partner General Atomics in San Diego, which will build the central solenoid and ship it to France.

ITER—designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power—will be the world's largest tokamak. As an ITER member, the US receives full access to all ITER-developed technology and scientific data, but bears less than 10 percent of the construction cost, which is shared among partner nations. US ITER is a Department of Energy Office of Science project managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

INFORMATION:

More information on the ITER project can be found at: www.usiter.org and www.iter.org.

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
University of Tennessee professors take big step to develop nuclear fusion power

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

More people staying connected on vacation

2012-06-11
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Scanning smartphones, tablets and laptops is as much a part of vacations as slathering on sunscreen, according to a Michigan State University study. The results, which will appear in the forthcoming issue of Annals of Tourism Research, show that easy online access and ubiquitous personal devices have made the digital divide disappear, even for folks on holiday. "Not that long ago, travelers would need to find a payphone or send postcards to brag about their vacations. Now they just log on and send photos and text," said Christine Vogt, MSU professor ...

A New Generation of Anti-Aging Skincare Supplements for Summertime

A New Generation of Anti-Aging Skincare Supplements for Summertime
2012-06-11
Just in time for summer, Nutrilys Del Mar in San Diego is thrilled to introduce NUTRICOSMET, a new generation of natural and organic anti-aging skincare supplements for summertime. While it's time for some fun in the sun, being outdoors for extended periods of time may cause harsh side effects on the skin. But with the NUTRICOSMET daily dietary supplement program, beauty is enhanced especially during the summer months. The NUTRICOSMET marine-based supplements, clinically tested in French and Swiss clinics since 1995, offer a proven method to promote healthier and ...

Physicists discover mechanisms of wrinkle and crumple formation

Physicists discover  mechanisms of wrinkle and crumple formation
2012-06-11
AMHERST, Mass. – Smooth wrinkles and sharply crumpled regions are familiar motifs in biological and synthetic sheets, such as plant leaves and crushed foils, say physicists Benny Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but how a featureless sheet develops a complex shape has long remained elusive. Now, in a cover story of the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the physicists report that they have identified a fundamental mechanism by which such complex patterns emerge spontaneously. Davidovitch ...

Leading Online Men's Tuxedos Retailer, MegaTuxedos.com, is Now Offering All Customers a 100 Percent Satisfaction Guarantee on All Products and Services

Leading Online Mens Tuxedos Retailer, MegaTuxedos.com, is Now Offering All Customers a 100 Percent Satisfaction Guarantee on All Products and Services
2012-06-11
Men will always want to look and feel great for the amazing formal events that will take place throughout their lifetime. From a high school dance to an exciting wedding, there is never any reason for a man to cut any corners when it comes to the perfect outfit. For those that would like to be able to buy these tuxedos with confidence in their purchase, MegaTuxedos.com, leading online retailers for all men's, boy's, prom, and wedding tuxedos is now offering a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee on all of their outfits. Finding the correct men's tuxedos can be a difficult ...

New Geology postings illustrate complex systems and innovative results

New Geology postings illustrate complex systems and innovative results
2012-06-11
Boulder, Colo., USA - Analysis of the water content of hydrous minerals in martian meteorites shows that Mars' interior is as wet or even wetter than Earth's mantle; detailed examination of well-preserved organic structures in Ediacaran specimens illustrates the "dawn of skeletogenesis"; a study of stromatolites in Nevada suggests that complex ecological phenomena such as reef-building began sooner than previously thought; and new findings regarding coral reef systems call for a "re-think" of prevailing models of reef growth dynamics. Highlights are provided below. GEOLOGY ...

Los Angeles SEO Firm, Avital Web, is Now Offering Affordable SEO Option to Businesses from All Industries

Los Angeles SEO Firm, Avital Web, is Now Offering Affordable SEO Option to Businesses from All Industries
2012-06-11
When it comes to maintaining a successful business in today's financial climate, it is more important than ever for companies to keep a very close eye on exactly how their advertising and marketing budgets are being used. For those that would like to ensure that every dollar is being invested wisely, website design and optimization is one of the leading choices, but not every SEO company can offer the unparalleled results that a company will need. In order to allow businesses from all industries the chance to keep ahead of the competition, one trusted Los Angeles SEO firm, ...

Study examines impact of African-American teachers in Title I schools

2012-06-11
Closing the academic gaps in performance among students from diverse backgrounds is a challenge for schools and a mandate from the government. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has prompted schools and school districts to re-examine elements that impact student achievements. A study completed by a recent graduate from University of Houston's Executive Education Doctorate in Professional Leadership suggests that African-American students do not necessarily fare better when taught by African-American teachers. The study examined the impact of African-American ...

CU-Boulder-led team finds microbes in extreme environment on South American volcanoes

CU-Boulder-led team finds microbes in extreme environment on South American volcanoes
2012-06-11
A team led by the University of Colorado Boulder looking for organisms that eke out a living in some of the most inhospitable soils on Earth has found a hardy few. A new DNA analysis of rocky soils in the Martian-like landscape on some volcanoes in South America has revealed a handful of bacteria, fungi and other rudimentary organisms called archaea, which seem to have a different way of converting energy than their cousins elsewhere in the world. "We haven't formally identified or characterized the species," said Ryan Lynch, a CU-Boulder doctoral student involved in ...

Trusted Encino Dentist, Dr. Ray Partovy, is Offering Discounts on Zoom Teeth Whitening Treatments

Trusted Encino Dentist, Dr. Ray Partovy, is Offering Discounts on Zoom Teeth Whitening Treatments
2012-06-11
When an individual has a bright and vibrant smile, they will be able to enjoy a level of confidence unlike anything else in the world. Unfortunately, nearly everything from the foods that one eats to daily wear and tear that take place throughout the years can lead to a discoloration of one's teeth. In order to allow locals to once again be able to smile with confidence, one trusted Encino dentist, Dr. Ray Partovy, is now offering huge discounts on the most advanced whitening treatment in the world, Zoom whitening. You can visit BestDentistinEncinoCA.com for more information. The ...

WSU study finds overwhelming evidence of hidden heart disease in hypertensive African-Americans

2012-06-11
DETROIT — A Wayne State University School of Medicine study has found that an overwhelming majority of African-American patients with hypertension also suffered hidden heart disease caused by high blood pressure even though they displayed no symptoms. The study – "Subclinical Hypertensive Heart Disease in African-American Patients with Elevated Blood Pressure in an Inner-City Emergency Department" – was conducted by Phillip Levy, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Emergency Medicine, and was recently published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine. Nine of every ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Simulating scientists: New tool for AI-powered scientific discovery

Helium in the Earth's core

Study: First female runner could soon break the 4-minute-mile barrier

High dietary fish intake may slow disability progression in MS

UK Armed Forces servicewomen face unique set of hurdles for abortion access/care

Use of strong synthetic opioids during surgery linked to poor composite experience of pain

UK innovation to transform treatment for people with type 2 diabetes worldwide

AI model can read ECGs to identify female patients at higher risk of heart disease

Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance

New manzanita species discovered, already at risk

Giant ice bulldozers: How ancient glaciers helped life evolve

Toward high electro-optic performance in III-V semiconductors

In mouse embryos, sister cells commit suicide in unison

Automatic cell analysis with the help of artificial intelligence

New study highlights need for better care to prevent lung problems after abdominal surgery

Microplastics in ocean linked to disabilities for coastal residents

Biophysical Society announced undergraduate poster award competition winners

Successful strategies for collaborative species conservation

Immune cells may lead to more Parkinson's cases in men

SCAI publishes expert consensus on alternative access for transaortic valve replacement (TAVR)

Humans inherited their flexible joints from the earliest jawed fish

Understanding the world within: Study reveals new insights into phage–bacteria interactions in the gut microbiome

Cold treatment does not appear to protect preterm infants from disability or death caused by oxygen loss, according to NIH-funded study

Pennington Biomedical researchers uncover role of hormone in influencing brain reward pathway and food preferences

Rethinking equity in electric vehicle infrastructure

Lunar Trailblazer blasts off to map water on the moon

Beacon Technology Solutions, Illinois Tech awarded grant to advance far-UVC disinfection research

University of Houston researchers paving the way for new era in medical imaging

High-tech startup CrySyst provides quality-by-control solutions for pharmaceutical, fine chemical industries

From scraps to sips: Everyday biomass produces drinking water from thin air

[Press-News.org] University of Tennessee professors take big step to develop nuclear fusion power
UT researchers have successfully developed a key technology in developing an experimental fusion reactor