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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
ANS Student Conference 2025
April 3–5, 2025
Albuquerque, NM|The University of New Mexico
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
March 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2025
Latest News
WEST claims latest plasma confinement record
The French magnetic confinement fusion tokamak known as WEST maintained a plasma in February for more than 22 minutes—1,337 seconds, to be precise—and “smashed” the previous record plasma duration for a tokamak with a 25 percent improvement, according to the CEA, which operates the machine. The previous 1,006-second record was set by China’s EAST just a few weeks prior. Records are made to be broken, but this rapid progress illustrates a collective, global increase in plasma confinement expertise, aided by tungsten in key components.
S. B. Gunst, D. E. Conway, J. C. Connor
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 56 | Number 3 | March 1975 | Pages 241-262
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE75-A26738
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Samples of 235U, 233U, 239Pu, and 232Th have been irradiated in high neutron fluxes [>1014 n/ (cm2 sec)] and their decay heat has been measured as a function of cooling time ranging from 14 to 4500 h after removal from the high flux. To measure the rate of heat emission, an underwater calorimeter has been developed. For the measured exposure histories, decay heat has also been calculated for concentrations of 190 fission products, all significant heavy isotopes, and structural nuclides. Account is taken of the energy carried by gamma rays that escape the calorimeter. Measurements and calculations of the decay heat captured within the calorimeter agree within two standard deviations for all samples and cooling times and, in general, agree within 2%. For the 235U sample, calculations based on the Proposed ANS Standard ANS-5.1 (ANSI N18.6) agree with the measurements within a few percent.
