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Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
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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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Fusion Science and Technology
February 2025
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.
K. Russ, R. Jimenez, E. Marin, F. Elsner, W. Sweet
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 79 | Number 7 | October 2023 | Pages 778-785
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2190292
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Polystyrene (PS) capsules produced by General Atomics are useful to inertial confinement fusion work. Contact scratches caused by collisions between container asperities and PS capsules and beads are a prominent defect arising during the fabrication process, and reducing them would improve surface quality. This study analyzed various containers for the curing and washing stages of PS bead and capsule production. For the curing stage, plastic bottles were found to have lower scratch frequency and severity than glass flasks, indicating that they may be a better alternative. For the washing stage, plastic or Gel-Pak washing containers demonstrated no reduction in scratch frequency when compared to glass washing containers.
