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.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Feb 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
January 2026
Latest News
Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Tim D. Bohm, Laila El-Guebaly, ARIES Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 278-282
In-Vessel Components - FW, Blanket, Shield & VV | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST11-A12365
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In ARIES tokamak designs, there are assembly gaps between adjacent blanket and shield modules. These gaps allow increased levels of radiation to reach outer components. Three-dimensional models of the tokamak were used to analyze the effect of radiation streaming through both straight and stepped gaps of 1 cm and 2 cm wide. We proposed a novel idea of inserting a WC shield block within the double step region to further attenuate the streaming neutrons. Radiation damage parameters were calculated for the inboard components including the first wall, shield, manifolds, vacuum vessel, and magnet. Our results show that straight gaps allow too much radiation to reach the inboard components, resulting in large peaking in radiation damage parameters. The double stepped gap with WC shield block show reduced peaking and are effective at protecting the vacuum vessel and magnet.