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DTRA’s advancements in nuclear and radiological detection
A new, more complex nuclear age has begun. Echoing the tensions of the Cold War amid rapidly evolving nuclear and radiological threats, preparedness in the modern age is a contest of scientific innovation. The Research and Development Directorate (RD) at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is charged with winning this contest.
Marina Rizk, Nicholas R. Brown, G. Ivan Maldonado
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 82 | Number 4 | May 2026 | Pages 917-922
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2533079
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steel (RAFM), such as F82H, is used in the Fusion Energy System Studies–Fusion Nuclear Science Facility as a structural material for the blanket. Previous research has identified significant issues with corrosion and tritium permeation due to the liquid metal Pb-17Li. To address these issues, aluminum or aluminum-based coatings have been proposed. This study performs a neutronics analysis of a blanket incorporating an aluminum-based coating layer, evaluating parameters such as tritium breeding ratio, nuclear heating (neutron and photon), and radiation damage. Low volume percentages (0.1% to 1.25%) of aluminum or FeAl are mixed with RAFM steel, and the analysis is conducted using OpenMC with the FENDL-3.2b library. The results show that the impact of the aluminum-based coating on these parameters is minimal, with changes within 0.6% compared to the non-coated case. Additionally, given that aluminum contains a long-lived isotope, Aluminum-26, an activation analysis was performed to evaluate its specific activity.