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Division Spotlight
Fusion Energy
This division promotes the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental, and safety attributes. The division cooperates with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology, conducts professional meetings, and disseminates technical information in support of these goals. Members focus on the assessment and resolution of critical developmental issues for practical fusion energy applications.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
August 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
V. O’Donnell, T. Keya, A. Romans, G. Harvill, M. Andurkar, B. C. Prorok, S. M. Thompson, J. Gahl
Nuclear Technology | Volume 209 | Number 2 | February 2023 | Pages 254-260
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2120321
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Experimentally characterizing radioactive materials can be time consuming and expensive. This is mainly due to the size requirements of inspected specimens. Due to the growing interest in using additively manufactured components in next-generation reactors, there is an urgent need to develop new accelerated testing techniques with regard to characterizing radiation damage. This will ensure a more timely certification of the unique material structures inherent to additively manufactured parts. In this study, we investigate a means to reduce the time investment, and thus the human exposure to radioactive specimens in need of experimental characterization. We determine the feasibility of using ultra-small specimens in lieu of much larger specimens to characterize bulk material properties before and after irradiation. Experiments were conducted to investigate this technique and compare it to conventional bulk irradiations and characterization activities. It was found that discernable radiation damage existed in the ultra-small specimens even after relatively short neutron irradiation times. The results also demonstrate decreased radiation hardening in additive manufactured Inconel 625 material relative to its wrought forms.