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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
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
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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Latest News
Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
Younggil Jin, Hyun-Su Kim, Sun-Taek Lim, Jin-Young Lee, Nam-Kyun Kim, Jae-Min Song, Gon-Ho Kim
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 1 | July 2015 | Pages 113-119
Technical Paper | Open Magnetic Systems 2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-886
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effect of interface diffusion between tungsten and graphite on embrittlement has not been examined over the tungsten ductile-brittle transition temperature. To analyze interface embrittlement with tungsten carbide (WC) formation and hardness, a reactive diffusion barrier model was adapted to clarify the roles of leak rate, lag time, and impurity. Plasma-sprayed tungsten (PS-W) on graphite with molybdenum interlayer (diffusion barrier) was fabricated using plasma-spray. The carbon concentration and hardness were measured using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and micro-indentation after furnace experiments relevant to plasma-facing component upper limit temperature (1470 K). The lag time and the leak rate were determined by the model with different impurity amounts (10-30 at. %) and barrier thicknesses (1-40 μm). It is worth noting that the lag time determines embrittlement threshold time because it delays the onset of diffusion, and it is expanded with thicker barrier and impurity (0.07-21000 ms). The leak rate represents the embrittlement rate since it limits the diffusion flux, and it does not depend on impurity but on barrier thickness. Diffusion-induced interface embrittlement was measured and estimated based on WC fraction. The embrittlement can be spatially expanded with time, suggesting that interface embrittlement can be severe for KSTAR long-term operation.