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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Fusion Science and Technology
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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
Colin Baus, Hugh Boniface, Ian Castillo, Amir Dashliborun, Christian Day, Takashi Ino, Minoru Jimma, Daiki Kikuchi, Mitch King, Satoshi Konishi, Yoshifumi Kume, Suneui Lee, Nobuo Maki, Yoshinao Matsunaga, John McGrady, Kyosuke Namba, Louis Neumann, Yuhei Nozoe, Richard Pearson, Donald Ryland, Jonas Schwenzer, Stephen Strickwerda, Sam Suppiah, Tim Teichmann, Bibake Uppal, Todd Whitehorne, Tomoya Yokoi
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 82 | Number 1 | January-February 2026 | Pages 357-372
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2481362
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
UNITY-2 (UNique Integrated Testing facilitY) is a facility designed to replicate the architecture of the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle of a fusion pilot plant (FFP) on a smaller scale. The facility will operate continuously at a steady-state flow rate of 2.3 Pa m3 s−1 using gas puffing, and will allow for the injection of fuel pellets for shorter periods with up to 27.5 Pa m3 s−1. UNITY-2 will demonstrate a fully integrated deuterium-tritium fuel cycle using a license for up to 30 g of tritium at Chalk River Laboratories, therefore reducing the risk of producing a FFP on a decadal timeframe. Its novelty, relative to past and planned fuel cycle experimental demonstrations, lies in the continuous and fully integrated operation, an inner fuel cycle that includes a direct internal recycling loop, an inner and outer loop, and a breeder cycle based on lithium lead coolant. UNITY-2 has a full suite of detritiation systems to demonstrate as low as reasonably achievable releases. Following the successful integrated operation, the technology readiness will reach a maturity to be applied to FFPs.