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.
William P. Duggan, Don Stelner , Mark J. Embrechts
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 890-895
Innovative Concepts for Power Conversion | Proceedings of the Seveth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Reno, Nevada, June 15–19, 1986) | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24849
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A design of a compact fusion reactor is proposed based on the reversed field pinch and utilizing the "Integrated-Blanket-CoiI" (IBC) concept. The IBC is applied to the toroidal field and divertor systems, with liquid metal used for cooling both the first wall and blanket. This simplifies the overall design by requiring only a single coolant cycle. In addition, safety is increased by eliminating any possible lithium-water interaction in the fusion power core. Finally, replacing conventional copper divertor coils with IBC components enhances tritium breeding and energy recovery. A generic problem with liquid metal coolants is their reduced heat transfer capabilities in magnetic fields. In this context, the use of liquid metal coolants may limit the allowable neutron wall loading to a value of 10 MW/m2. Above this value it may be necessary to use water cooling for the first wall and divertor surfaces.