Overview and status of ITER internal components

The internal components of ITER are one of the most design and technically challenging components of the ITER machine, and include the Blanket System and the Divertor. The Blanket System successfully went through its Final Design Review in April 2013 and now it is entering into the procurement phase. The design and qualification of the Divertor with a full-tungsten armour was successfully completed and this enabled the decision in November 2013 to start operation with this material option. This paper summarizes the engineering design, the R&D, the technology qualification and procurement status of the Blanket System and of the Divertor of the ITER machine.     

Magnetic pulse spot welding of bimetals

One of the main parameters in magnetic pulse welding (MPW) is the requirement of certain distance/spacing called “air gap” between the two sheets or tubes to be welded. This work presents means to alleviate this constraint through stamped humps in one of the sheets. The sheets remain in contact all over except at humps where a local air gap is sufficient to generate impact velocity required to produce spot welds using electromagnetic energy. The developed approach has been validated on the heterogeneous assembly of AA1199 aluminum to EN 355 steel. The microstructural analysis revealed that the weld interface is wavy and the waves are in two opposite directions from the center. Quasi-static tension–shear tests validated the joint efficiency of spot welds.     

Reduced graphene oxide supported chiral Ni particles as magnetically reusable and enantioselective catalyst for asymmetric hydrogenation

A reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported chiral-modified Ni catalyst was synthesized, characterized and employed for asymmetric hydrogenation. The prepared hybrid catalyst could produce each enantiomer with d- or l-tartaric acid as chiral modifier and exhibited a high TOF (20160 h⁻¹) and enantioselectivity (enantiomeric excess, 98.5%) for asymmetric hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate. The high catalytic activity and enantioselectivity were mainly attributed to the unique properties of the support rGO, as it had a large specific surface area to sustain and stabilize Ni particles and its high charge carrier mobility could enable the readily transfer of electrons in the reaction process. Besides, the catalyst could also gain an enhanced reactant sorption with the support of rGO, thus achieved a greatly catalysis enhancement. The ferromagnetism of Ni made the catalyst easier for separation and reuse. The catalytic and recycling performance of the prepared chiral Ni catalyst demonstrated that rGO was indeed a promising support to improve activity, enantioselectivity and durability of catalysts, and the prepared catalysts were promising reusable heterogeneous catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation.     

Interactive virtual mock-ups for Remote Handling compatibility assessment of heavy components

ITER standards Tesini (2009) require hardware mock-ups to validate the Remote Handling (RH) compatibility of RH class 1- and critical class 2-components. Full-scale mock-ups of large ITER components are expensive, have a long lead time and lose their relevance in case of design changes. Interactive Virtual Reality simulations with real time rigid body dynamics and contact interaction allow for RH Compatibility Assessment during the design iterations.This paper explores the use of interactive virtual mock-ups to analyze the RH compatibility of heavy component handling and maintenance. It infers generic maintenance operations from the analysis and proposes improvements to the simulator capabilities.     

Effects of hydrothermal process parameters on the physical,magnetic and thermal properties of Zn0.3Fe2.7O4 nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia applications

Effects of hydrothermal temperature and time on physical, magnetic and thermal properties of Zn-substituted magnetite nanoparticles (Zn_0.3Fe_2.7O₄) were assessed. The magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized via citric acid-assisted hydrothermal reduction route at temperatures of 150, 175 and 200 °C for duration of 10, 15 and 20 h. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and specific loss power (SLP) measurements. The results showed that temperature and time of the hydrothermal process both had significant effects on nanoparticles composition and properties. It was observed that at 150 °C, heat generation was insufficient to produce activation energy required for nucleation of Zn_0.3Fe_2.7O₄ spinel nanoparticles, even after a long time. At 175 °C, although temperature was low, but the suitable condition for nucleation of nanoparticles was made and spinel nanoparticles with the size of about 13 nm were formed after 15 h. Nonetheless, since crystallinity and SLP of the nanoparticles was low, they showed weak performance for magnetic hyperthermia. At 200 °C, the required activation energy was provided for nanoparticles nucleation; however, the spinel was oxidized to hematite, resulting in a decrease in thermal and magnetic properties. In overall, the nanoparticles synthesized at 200 °C for 15 h possessed the best characteristics of reasonable purity, saturation magnetization of about 35.9 emu/g and SLP of 18.7 W/g.     

Detection of the residues of nineteen pesticides in fresh vegetable samples using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

In this study, we investigated the presence of 19 different agricultural pesticides in 210 samples of eight types of domestic vegetables collected from several vegetable-growing regions in Bangladesh. A multiresidue method was developed to detect the pesticide levels in the collected samples using gas chromatography with mass spectrophotometry (GC–MS). Pesticide residues were detected in 51.30% of the total samples, and among the positive samples, 38.89% contained levels above the maximum residue levels (MRLs). The most frequently detected pesticides were chlorpyrifos (34) followed by carbofuran (17), diazinon (16), carbaryl (14), malathion (11), endosulfan (8), cypermethrin (7) and dimethoate (6). Some (10.47%) of the samples contained multiple residues. It is concluded that the continuous monitoring and strict regulation of pesticide use on food crops, especially vegetables, are necessary.     

Oxidation of Zircaloy-2 studied using a wedge-shaped specimen

Experiments have been carried out to vary the stress in the oxide layer during oxidation of Zircaloy-2. This was achieved by varying the thickness of the metal substrate, using a specimen with a tapered wedge-shaped cross-section. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed that the compressive stress level in the oxide was reduced when the metal substrate was thinner. The rate of oxidation was also slower for conditions where the stress was reduced. The results can be interpreted such that transitions in the growth result from sequential cracking of the oxide when sufficient elastic strain energy accumulates and that the cracks then enhance access of oxygen to the metal interface.     

Synthesis of a Potential Tumor Imaging Agent by Oxidative Radioiodination of Aspirin and Its Preclinical Study

Radiochemistry - Aspirin, one of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic drugs, was labeled with 125I with a labeling yield of 85.5% under the following conditions: pH 9, 100 mg of the substrate,...     

ITER tritiated waste management by the Host state and first lessons learned for fusion development

This paper summarises the present status of the ITER tritiated waste management strategy under development in France. This paper describes the specific challenges posed by this radioactive waste containing tritium as well as the solutions planned for the various waste categories and the implementation expected for the ITER tritiated waste, including the features of the future interim storage facility called INTERMED. Several options to reduce temporary storage duration as well as to minimise out-gassing rates and tritium discharges into the environment are under study, the related issues and the preliminary results obtained are shown. The first lessons learned for fusion development and their extrapolation to future reactors are outlined based on four parameters: materials, operating temperature, fuel cycle efficiency and tritium removal technologies.     

Baku formula 1 city circuit: exploring the temporary spaces of exception

Since 2016 Baku, Azerbaijan has become the newest addition to the Formula 1 Championship. Organized in the downtown Baku, the F1 European Grand Prix has brought transformations in physical and regulatory terms by imposing temporary rules and restrictions to host this motorsport event. The result was a disruption to the local population's daily practices in the areas directly impacted by the race, as access to such areas were only made available to F1-related visitors and staff, and beyond for weeks leading up to the event. Through on-site observations and in-depth interviews in Baku, this paper explores the role mega-events, such as the F1 race, play in transforming cities and examines it's temporary and longer-term legacies. Theoretically, these processes are analyzed through Giorgio Agamben's concept of the state of exception, which theorizes the abandonment of the rule of law and introduction of an exceptional legal regime in the name of public good. The paper argues that mega-events produce spaces of exception in its host cities by declaring temporary regulations that are tailored towards the needs of the events rights holders and their commercial partners, along with national elites, normalizing the exceptional procedures and compromising the daily activities of locals in the spaces appropriated for the event.