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2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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Fusion Science and Technology
October 2025
Latest News
Researchers use one-of-a-kind expertise and capabilities to test fuels of tomorrow
At the Idaho National Laboratory Hot Fuel Examination Facility, containment box operator Jake Maupin moves a manipulator arm into position around a pencil-thin nuclear fuel rod. He is preparing for a procedure that he and his colleagues have practiced repeatedly in anticipation of this moment in the hot cell.
L. El-Guebaly, L. Mynsberge, A. Davis, C. D’Angelo, A. Rowcliffe, B. Pint, ARIES-ACT Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 72 | Number 1 | July 2017 | Pages 17-40
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2016.1273669
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The ARIES team has examined a multitude of fusion concepts over a period of 25 years. In recent years, the team wrapped up the Advanced Research, Innovation, and Evaluation Study (ARIES) series by completing the detailed design of the ARIES–Advanced and Conservative Tokamak (ARIES-ACT2) power plant—a plant with conservative physics and technology, representing a tokamak with reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) structure and dual-coolant lead-lithium blanket. The integration of nuclear assessments (neutronics, shielding, and activation) is an essential element to ARIES-ACT2 success. This paper highlights the design philosophy of in-vessel components and characterizes several nuclear-related issues that have been addressed during the course of the study to improve the ARIES-ACT2 design: sufficient breeding of tritium to fuel the plasma, well-optimized in-vessel components that satisfy all design requirements and guarantee the shielding functionality of its radial/vertical builds, survivability of low-activation/radiation-resistant structural materials in 14-MeV neutron environment, activation concerns for RAFM and corrosion-resistant oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloys, and an integral approach to handle the mildly radioactive materials during operation and after decommissioning.