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.
Tore Supra Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 29 | Number 4 | July 1996 | Pages 417-448
Technical Paper | First-Wall Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A30688
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In view of high-power, long-pulse steady-state operation, Tore Supra has incorporated in its design the active control of heat and particles in a realistic environment. In the early experimental phase of Tore Supra, the first generation of plasma-facing components was tested, and these tests provided much physics and technological information and illuminated various operational difficulties. In particular, these experiments revealed the weakness of the graphite-to-metal brazing process originally adopted for actively cooled high-heat-flux components. Consequently, a new inner-wall technology was developed in 1994 and is to be tested in 1995–1996 with a totally rebuilt 40-deg toroidal sector. A carbon-fiber—reinforced carbon-metal compound is based on the newest brazing technology and rigorous quality control. Components such as the toroidal pump limiter and the guard limiters of plasma-heating antennas are being developed in the same way. For structures where brazing is difficult, boron carbide-coated components have been developed and installed in Tore Supra. For lower heat fluxes, a bolted concept has been designed and tested. The influence of inner-first-wall misalignment in Tore Supra on the power exhaust limitation of brazed components has been studied. Results from the technological development for the different power exhaust systems and the associated experimental knowledge obtained during plasma operation in Tore Supra are presented.