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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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April 3–5, 2025
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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.
Hattan Natto, Haori Yang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 9 | September 2022 | Pages 1382-1392
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2035478
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Cherenkov detectors have been developed and used in several fields since the discovery of Cherenkov radiation. They do have several advantages compared with other detector types, such as low noise due to the low-energy threshold of Cherenkov radiation and short decay constant (on the order of picoseconds). However, the light yield of Cherenkov detectors is low. Only several hundreds of Cherenkov photons can be generated per megaelectron-volt. The objective of this work is to manufacture and test Cherenkov glass detectors for detection of high-energy gammas. The focus is to improve the light output of Cherenkov detectors by implementing wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers inside the glass samples. Without the WLS materials, most Cherenkov photons are likely to be absorbed within the glass sample before they can reach the photon sensor. WLS fibers do not directly increase the number of Cherenkov photons, but they can reduce the energy of Cherenkov photons and direct them toward the photon sensor. This photon energy reduction helps increase the efficiency of light collection and improves matching between the photon wavelength and photon detector quantum efficiency.