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Young Members Group
The Young Members Group works to encourage and enable all young professional members to be actively involved in the efforts and endeavors of the Society at all levels (Professional Divisions, ANS Governance, Local Sections, etc.) as they transition from the role of a student to the role of a professional. It sponsors non-technical workshops and meetings that provide professional development and networking opportunities for young professionals, collaborates with other Divisions and Groups in developing technical and non-technical content for topical and national meetings, encourages its members to participate in the activities of the Groups and Divisions that are closely related to their professional interests as well as in their local sections, introduces young members to the rules and governance structure of the Society, and nominates young professionals for awards and leadership opportunities available to members.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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!
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Fusion Science and Technology
February 2024
Latest News
Can hydrogen be the transportation fuel in an otherwise nuclear economy?
Let’s face it: The global economy should be powered primarily by nuclear power. And it probably will by the end of this century, with a still-significant assist from renewables and hydro. Once nuclear systems are dominant, the costs come down to where gas is now; and when carbon emissions are reduced to a small portion of their present state, it will become obvious that most other sources are only good in niche settings. I mean, why use small modular reactors to load-follow when they can just produce that power instead of buffering it?
T. Jayakumar, M. D. Mathew, K. Laha, S. K. Albert, S. Saroja, E. Rajendra Kumar, C. V. S. Murthy, G. Padmanabham, G. Appa Rao, S. Narahari Prasad
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 65 | Number 2 | March-April 2014 | Pages 171-185
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-690
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
India is one of the countries associated with the development and testing of test blanket modules (TBMs) in ITER. Accordingly, India has taken up development of 9Cr-W-Ta reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel, which is the structural material chosen for TBMs, together with the associated manufacturing technologies required for TBM fabrication. With the objective of developing an India-specific RAFM steel, four heats of RAFM steel with tungsten and tantalum contents varying in the ranges 1 to 2 wt% and 0.06 to 0.014 wt%, respectively, were melted. The steel was melted through vacuum induction melting and vacuum arc refining routes with strict control over the amounts of elements that induce radioactivity (Mo, Nb, B, Cu, Ni, Al, Co, and Ti) and the elements that promote embrittlement (S, P, As, Sb, Sn, Zr, and O). Extensive characterization of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the steel was carried out. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of the steel increased slightly with increasing tungsten and tantalum content. The tensile strength of the steel was found not to change significantly with increasing tungsten content; however, it decreased marginally with increasing tantalum content, with a consequent increase in ductility. The creep rupture strength of the steel at 823 K was found to increase significantly with increasing tungsten content, whereas it decreased with increasing tantalum content. The low-cycle fatigue life of the steel at 823 K was found to increase with increasing tungsten and tantalum content; however, extensive cyclic softening was exhibited when the tungsten content was >1.4 wt%. RAFM steel containing 1.4 wt% tungsten and 0.06 wt% tantalum was found to have a better combination of strength and toughness and is specified as Indian RAFM (INRAFM) steel. The joining technologies adopted for the fabrication of a TBM are hot isostatic pressing to produce the first wall, followed by gas tungsten arc (GTA), electron beam (EB), laser, and laser hybrid welding for joining the rest of the TBM. Welding techniques for joining RAFM steel have been developed and characterized. The properties of the GTA welds met the full specifications of the requirement and were comparable to the properties of the base metal. This consumable has also been used to carry out hybrid laser welding successfully. A procedure for using EB welding to join plates of thicknesses up to 12 mm has been developed. Impact tests conducted on EB welds showed that the toughness of the weld metal in the as-welded condition is comparable to that of the base metal. A box structure that simulates one of the components of a TBM has been fabricated using EB welding to demonstrate the applicability of the process to component fabrication. Laser welding of 6-mm-thick plates of RAFM steel has also been carried out successfully, and the properties of the weld joints have been found to be satisfactory. This paper discusses the development of INRAFM steel and its properties and the current status of the fabrication technologies being developed for fabrication of the Indian TBM to be tested in ITER.