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
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
July 2025
Latest News
Recent surveys confirm high levels of U.S. nuclear support
Surveys have consistently indicated that public support in the United States for the use of nuclear energy has been increasing in recent years. Four recent surveys continue to suggest that near-record-high numbers of Americans support nuclear energy. However, the survey results differ—sometimes widely—in the details of their findings.
Jeffrey N. Brooks
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 18 | Number 2 | September 1990 | Pages 239-250
Technical Paper | Divertor System | doi.org/10.13182/FST90-A29296
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Sputtering erosion of the proposed International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) divertor has been analyzed using the REDEP computer code. A carbon-coated plate, as well as beryllium and tungsten plates, have been examined at medium and low plasma edge temperatures. Peak net erosion rates for carbon and beryllium are very high (∼20 to 80 cm/burn · yr) though an order of magnitude less than the gross rates. Tritium buildup rates in co-deposited carbon surface layers may also be high (∼50 to 250 kg/burn · yr). Plasma contamination from divertor sputtering, however, is low (≲0.5%), Operation with low-Z divertor plates at high duty factors, therefore, appears unacceptable due to erosion, but may work for low duty factor (∼2%) “physics phase” operation. Sweeping of the poloidal field lines at the divertor can reduce erosion, typically by factors of ∼2 to 8. A tungsten-coated plate works well, from the erosion standpoint, for plasma plate temperatures of ∼40 eV or less.