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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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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.
Yasushi Yamamoto, Ryousuke Kusaba, Takayuki Shirouzu, Nobuyuki Inoue
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 557-561
Nonelectric Applications | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A11963295
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Effects of beam convergence on fusion reaction rate in the cylindrical IECF device are investigated using 2-D simulation code by changing electrode shape. Simple simulation well reproduces experimentally obtained dependences of neutron production rate vs. discharge voltage and current, and it is found that almost all reactions occur by beam-background gases collisions, not beam-beam collisions. Results show that fusion reaction rate increases significantly with increase of beam convergence, therefore, increase of ion densities in the center, even in the devices where beam-background gas collision is dominate.
