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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.
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ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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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
Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
B. Sieglin, M. Faitsch, A. Herrmann, S. Martinov, T. Eich, ASDEX Upgrade Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 69 | Number 3 | May 2016 | Pages 580-585
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-183
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Infrared (IR) thermography is a widely used tool in fusion research to study the thermal load onto plasma-facing components. In present-day fusion experiments with short-pulse duration, off-line data analysis is still feasible. For devices with long-pulse duration and actively cooled plasma-facing components, IR thermography is a common tool for machine protection. In future fusion devices with long-pulse duration, online data evaluation of the thermography measurement for additional physics studies is required. Real-time–capable IR thermography was developed at ASDEX Upgrade. The feasibility of real-time thermography is discussed in this work. The evaluation process from raw data to evaluated temperature and heat flux is shown. The real-time version of the THEODOR code allows online calculation of the heat flux. Exploiting the possibility of the IR system to change the integration time during acquisition opens up the possibility to have automated thermography. The current status of the thermography system at ASDEX Upgrade and future developments for its improvement are discussed.
