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
February 2026
Nuclear Technology
January 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Playing the “bad guy” to enhance next-generation safety
Sometimes, cops and robbers is more than just a kid’s game. At the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, researchers are channeling their inner saboteurs to discover vulnerabilities in next-generation nuclear reactors, making sure that they’re as safe as possible before they’re even constructed.
E. J. Pitcher, C. T. Kelsey IV, S. A. Maloy
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 62 | Number 1 | July-August 2012 | Pages 289-294
Fusion Technology Facilities | Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials, Part A: Fusion Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST62-289
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed the conceptual design of the Materials Test Station (MTS), an accelerator-driven neutron source for irradiating nuclear fuel and materials in a fast neutron spectrum. In many respects, the irradiation conditions in the MTS are quite similar to those experienced by the first wall of a fusion reactor. Calculated He-to-dpa (displacements per atom) ratios range from 35 down to 5 appm He/dpa, allowing for critical testing of helium effects on mechanical properties under fusion-relevant conditions. We present here a brief history on the assessment of spallation sources for fusion materials testing and discuss irradiation conditions in the MTS as they pertain to testing materials for fusion reactor applications. In particular, we examine the production of spallation residues in the MTS for the fusion reactor candidate alloy EUROFER97 and compare the concentrations of these transmutation elements to those predicted for a fusion reactor first wall. We show that predicted yields of phosphorous and sulfur in steel alloys irradiated to high dose in fusion-relevant regions of the MTS are below typical as-fabricated concentrations.