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Final report for the DOE Fusion Energy Sciences project titled "A Streamlined, Open Source Neutronics Toolkit for Fusion Reactor Design". This project developed unstructured mesh tracking capabilities in OpenMC as well as two shutdown dose rate methodologies, and performed extensive performance improvements and validation of the open source Monte Carlo code, OpenMC.
CONNECT is an innovative on-premise hardware and software solution that integrates edge and cloud computing infrastructure at NREL. Built on the AWS Greengrass middleware and leveraging the MQTT protocol, CONNECT enables real-time data streaming from IoT devices and gateways to both cloud and local services, empowering researchers to rapidly capture, analyze, and act upon edge-generated data while leveraging cloud capabilities. The platform addresses research infrastructure challenges by providing a pre-approved platform which is already configured with the correct networking and cybersecurity baselines thus eliminating procurement delays and enabling on-demand availability. CONNECT's hybrid architecture efficiently manages burstable workloads, allowing research teams to dynamically scale computational capacity, handle peak data loads, and reduce operational bottlenecks. Advanced capabilities include built-in GPU support for executing machine learning models which enables low-latency inference at the edge from models trained in the cloud. This architecture supports real-time analytics and filtering, providing a mechanism to allow only transmitting and processing high-value data. Cloud-based configuration management permits engineers to manage on-premise systems remotely, optimizing operational efficiency. By bridging edge and cloud computing, CONNECT provides NREL researchers with a flexible, scalable platform that accelerates scientific discovery while maintaining robust security and performance standards.
The research goal of this Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fusion Energy Science (OFES) project was to investigate the electrified liquid surface dynamics using a shallow water model. The project was an extension of the Princeton Collaborative Research Facility (PCRF) project to work with Dr. Mikhail Shneider at Princeton University.
LaserNetUS Collaborative Network established in 2018 is a network of high-power laser facilities supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) and operating effectively as a user facility. Its mission is to advance and promote intense laser science and applications by providing scientists and students with broad access to unique facilities and enabling technologies, advancing the frontiers of laser-science research, and fostering collaboration among researchers and networks from around the world. Users who submit proposals through an annual call are selected by an external and independent proposal review panel (PRP) not involving personnel from any of the facilities.
An activity is underway to engage the fusion energy community to understand and plan for management of accountable nuclear materials during the development and commercialization of fusion energy within the scope of DOE Order 410.2. It includes developing an initial assessment of the accountable nuclear materials needed to support fusion development and implementation, understanding the supply/production dynamics of these materials, identifying opportunities to engage with the fusion community to follow technology development efforts that will impact the need for these materials, and initiating engagement with the fusion community to consider DOE Order 410.2 requirements in a full fusion environment.
Fusion energy represents a transformative opportunity to deliver a safe, plentiful, and carbon-free source of reliable primary power. In recent years, fusion research and development have accelerated significantly, particularly within the US, driven by decades of foundational public investment. Notably, in 2024 the US Department of Energy (DOE) established a comprehensive Fusion Energy Strategy aimed at collaborating with industry partners to enable the deployment of fusion power plants and grid integration by the 2030s. This strategy is chiefly implemented through the DOE Office of Science (SC) Fusion Energy Sciences program. This project was initiated to identify potential approaches for the Office of Environment, Safety, and Health (NA-ESH-12) within DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration to begin engagement with the fusion community on future accountable material needs. The goal of the project is to inform and influence the supply of and demand for accountable nuclear materials as fusion energy is developed and commercialized. NA-ESH-12 must proactively engage with the fusion community regarding the production and management of accountable nuclear materials. Given the complexity and scale of materials required for research, pilot projects, and eventual commercial reactors, early coordination is vital. The project’s objective is to provide insights that will shape the supply and demand landscape for critical nuclear materials, ensuring that DOE is prepared to effectively support fusion energy development and commercialization. In FY 2025, an initial limited review was conducted to identify the status of the fusion energy community’s progress toward full-scale energy production and the need for accountable nuclear material. This included communications with SC, NA-ESH-12, Savannah River National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and attending the Rutgers University–sponsored Supply Chain Workshop: Scaling the Fusion Industry and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Ninth DEMO Programme Workshop. The review to date indicates that the amounts of tritium, lithium-6, and deuterium required by the fusion industry will be dependent on fuel type, breeding technology, blankets, and R&D improvements. One concern is that the commercial sector does not have a sufficient supply chain to meet the demand for development and commercialization for fusion energy production. The supply and demand estimates for these materials should be routinely reviewed as fusion technologies mature.
The materials science challenge of providing a suite of suitable materials to satisfy the technology to achieve fusion energy is addressed in this ORNL program. The inability of currently available materials and components to withstand the harsh fusion nuclear environment requires development of new materials, and an understanding of their response to the fusion environment. The overarching goal of the ORNL Fusion Materials program is to provide the applied materials science support and materials understanding to underpin the ongoing DOE Office of Science—Fusion Energy Sciences program, in parallel with developing the materials for fusion power systems. In this effort the program continues to be integrated both with the larger U.S. and international fusion materials communities and with the U.S. and international fusion design and technology communities. The excitement of this program comes from the priorities given to this subject in the two recent fusion reviews, by the FESAC and NAS committees. An important element of those recommendations is the support for pivoting the national R&D emphasis to the Fusion Materials and Technologies (FM&T), the long-advocated Fusion Prototypic Neutron Source, and for the Fusion Pilot Plant study that will help focus program direction and efforts. Furthermore, the surge of venture capital investment into the private fusion industry start-ups over the last few years is anticipated to help accelerate all aspects of the fusion energy development. This twelfth annual report of the ORNL (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Fusion Reactor Materials Program summarizes the accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023). The year was the first to return to full post-COVID-restriction operations, with students and international assignees no longer impacted by COVID restrictions, as in FY20-21-22. Following the pattern of planning used in this program, work for the year FY2023 focused on having the data and productivity to support a strong presence at the International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials (ICFRM) 21, organized by Spain and occurred in October 2023. Twenty-nine ORNL-led abstracts were submitted, with all accepted. Four were invited presentations, nine contributed oral, fourteen posters, and two withdrawn due to unforeseen circumstances. Additionally, nine external abstracts with ORNL contributing authors were presented. These will be reported in the FY24 report next year.
Fusion propulsion is inevitable if the human race remains dedicated to exploration of the solar system. There are fundamental reasons why fusion surpasses more traditional approaches to routine crewed missions to Mars, crewed missions to the outer planets, and deep space high speed robotic missions, assuming that reduced trip times, increased payloads, and higher available power are desired. A recent series of informal discussions were held among members from government, academia, and industry concerning fusion propulsion. We compiled a sufficient set of arguments for utilizing fusion in space. .If the U.S. is to lead the effort and produce a working system in a reasonable amount of time, NASA must take the initiative, relying on, but not waiting for, DOE guidance. Arguments for fusion propulsion are presented, along with fusion enabled mission examples, fusion technology trade space, and a proposed outline for future efforts.
This document represents a final report on the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Science (OFES) Grant Entitled “Development and Qualification of Advanced Alloys Used in High Helium and Displacement Damage Service for Fusion Energy Applications” (DE-FG02-94ER54275). This grant has been funded since 1994, by a series of five and three-year renewals. We express our deep appreciation for the long-standing support by OFES for our fusion materials research. The latest three-year renewal was awarded in 2019. This renewal subsequently received a 1- year no-cost extension, followed by another funded 1-year phaseout period. Here, we focus on this five-year effort. The final report is composed of 35 Fusion Semiannual Reports covering the period from 2019 to 2024. In addition, Appendix A lists 158 fusion materials papers published since 1994, with the partial, or full, support of the OFES program. We note that, as metrics of their high impact, these papers have received a total of 8582 citations, with an average of 54 per paper.
Runaway electrons can severely damage the plasma facing components on ITER during a major disruption and pose a major risk for tokamak fusion. It has been recognized that an adequate disruption mitigation system (DMS) is essential for the safe operation of ITER. The United States is responsible for the design and implementation of the disruption mitigation system on ITER, and in July 2016 the Simulation Center for Runaway Electron Avoidance and Mitigation (SCREAM) was launched by DOE, in a joint Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) and Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) collaboration. SCREAM was a comprehensive theory and simulation SciDAC center that provided physics guidance in the avoidance and mitigation of runaway electrons, and in tandem with domestic and international experiments, helped establish the qualitative and quantitative bases for safe operational scenarios and viable mitigation techniques. The SCREAM center assembled a national team of experts in runaway electron physics, tokamak disruptions, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation, and advanced algorithms and computing. The team combined advanced simulation and analysis capability facilitated by direct participation of ASCR SciDAC institutes with theoretical models and code development by FES scientists to focus on the runaway risk for ITER and tokamaks in general. The research scope was focussed on integrated simulations of kinetic runaway electrons, including MHD and fluid models of impurity transport, within a research plan guided by theory. The specific research tasks were (1) establish the fundamental physics of runaway generation, saturation, and dynamical evolution in a tokamak; (2) examine the critical path toward runaway avoidance; and (3) investigate the viability and effectiveness of the leading candidate schemes for runaway mitigation. In all three areas, members of the team carried out scoping studies that established the readiness for rapid and critical advances, especially in the deployment and further development of large-to extreme-scale simulation tools. Our multi-pronged computational approach included (1) relativistic Fokker-Planck solvers with discretization in phase space, (2) self-consistent particle-in-cell techniques, (3) particle-based Monte-Carlo, and (4) MHD-particle hybrid simulations. Cross-check between these different methods provided an additional means for verification and further bolstered the fidelity of our physics prediction. Validation against experimental results brings confidence to the predictive capability for ITER and frequently leads to new ideas for understanding and mitigating the thermal quench driven runaway electron phenomenon.
Direct Fusion Drive (DFD) is a unique fusion engine concept based on the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration (PFRC) fusion reactor conceived by Dr. Sam Cohen of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. DFD would enable the Pluto orbiter and lander context mission and more broadly enable true "rapid transit" to outer-planet and near interstellar space. The truly game-changing levels of thrust and power in a modestly sized package could integrate with our current launch infrastructure while radically expanding the science capability of these missions. Our Phase I was our first funded work on the DFD, with previous work at PSS occurring only under internal R&D. We established the feasibility of our Pluto mission trajectories using straight-line and planar models, including a departure spiral from Earth and insertion at Pluto. We developed our first thrust and specific impulse model using the results of the UEDGE multi-fluid code. Our specific power model was improved. During this Phase II effort, we continued our efforts to increase the fidelity of the designs for the RF, magnet, and shielding subsystems. Dedicated thrust augmentation experiments were run on the PFRC experiment, using a supersonic gas puffing valve. For the first time, we analyzed the design of a closed-loop operation mode and estimated the hardware that would be required for a dual-mode engine. In an exciting new development, we have invented a new thermophotovoltaic thermal conversion method that has the potential to have efficiencies of a Brayton or Stirling system. Our report presents details of these analyses. Our roadmap to bringing DFD to flight predicts that with sufficient support, a first flight unit could be built by 2040. We anticipate that three machine generations are required before this point: a ~1 T PFRC-3 machine hitting new plasma temperature and density levels, a ~5 T PFRC-4 machine with first demonstration of D-3He fusion, and a flight. (The current experiment, PFRC-2, is limited to about 0.1 T). In order to achieve a flight in 2035-2040, the TRL of the supporting systems must be increased in parallel, including low mass radiators, cryogenic propellant storage, and large (>100 kW) thermal conversion systems. Fortunately, many of these systems are dual-use and are required for other technologies including fission systems, so DFD would contribute to and benefit from those programs. This NIAC support and the results of our work have led to multiple follow-on contracts. We won two NASA STTRs focused on DFD subsystems, one on the RF system and one on the superconducting magnets, and our magnet STTR is now midway through a Phase II. We will be receiving a superconducting test magnet for experiments at PPPL this summer. In addition, we won an ARPA-E OPEN grant; this is the first time that OPEN has included fusion technologies, and we are part of a cohort of three alternative fusion companies now supported directly by DOE. We are very optimistic that if we are able to meet our experimental milestones in the next 12-18 months, we will be competitive for additional DOE grants to build PFRC-3.
Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) methods hold promise for any applications with significant advection character, including thermal hydraulics in light water reactors and advanced reactor concepts and fluid models of plasmas in magnetic confinement fusion. Its features include natural upwinding, local element conservation, and extensibility to arbitrarily high order accuracy. In the last fiscal year we have implemented HDG in the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). We developed a first-of-its-kind automatic static condensation system in MOOSE’s underlying finite element library libMesh which can condense out arbitrarily many internal variables. Finally, we developed the first preconditioner for HDG discretizations of the Navier-Stokes equations which shows robust performance across a wide range of problem sizes and Reynolds numbers. This preconditioner yields solution times that are equivalent to the fastest developed for industry standard finite volume methods. Moreover, the arbitrarily high-order nature of HDG makes it a prime candidate for acceleration via graphical processing units (GPUs). We believe these developments will hold significant importance for future DOE Nuclear Energy (NE) and Fusion Energy Science (FES) programs.
The report summarizes DOE INFUSE-supported work between HB11 Energy and the University of Rochester’s TriForce Institute to improve computational modeling of advanced fusion fuels, especially proton–boron-11 (p- 11 B). The project extended the TriForce particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision code to include physics needed for dense, high-temperature p- 11 B burn studies, including p- 11 B fusion reactions, three-alpha-particle reaction products, relativistic Coulomb collisions, large-angle nuclear scattering, bremsstrahlung radiation, inverse bremsstrahlung absorption, and photon transport. The upgraded models were verified against focused physics tests and against known deuterium–tritium burn behavior. The study then used one-dimensional spherical simulations to estimate the conditions required for thermonuclear burn propagation in isochoric p- 11 B fuel. The calculations found that burn propagation is possible in the model, but only under very extreme hot-spot conditions, such as about 7000 g/cm 3 at 500 keV or 9000 g/cm 3 at 300 keV for a 20-micron hot spot. These conditions are much more demanding than current demonstrated inertial confinement fusion hot spots. The report concludes that the INFUSE collaboration successfully advanced kinetic and radiation modeling capabilities for p- 11 B fusion and provided useful estimates of ignition requirements. However, the simulated fuel gains remain below what would be needed for practical inertial fusion energy, and further work is needed to reconcile differences among kinetic, radiation-hydrodynamic, and analytic models and to identify more achievable target designs.
NRAD is a 250-kilowatt TRIGA research reactor that first went online at INL in 1977. (TRIGA stands for Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics.) Historically, NRAD was utilized as a neutron radiography reactor that provides comprehensive, non-destructive information about the internal condition of irradiated nuclear fuel. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has multiple nuclear fuels research and development programs that routinely evaluate irradiated fuels using neutron radiography at NRAD. In recent years, NRAD has gone through a transformation from the single purpose radiography reactor for which it was designed into a multipurpose research reactor, and expanding its in-core irradiation capabilities to support a broader mission for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy (NE) programs, Basic Energy Science (BES) Programs, as well as Fusion Energy programs. NRAD is a designated user facility under the DOE Nuclear Science User Facility (NSUF) program, and is available for access for general public via a competitive proposal process. More information about NSUF and NRAD are available from the website: https://nsuf.inl.gov/Home/Facility/654.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) is constructing a new High Field Vertical Magnet Test Facility (HFVMTF) with capabilities comparable to the European facilities EDIPO and FRESCA2. The facility, located at Fermilab, will feature a background magnetic field of 15 T, generated by a magnet provided by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The HFVMTF will support two U.S. national programs under the DOE Office of Science: the U.S. Fusion Energy Science (FES) program and the Magnet Development Program (MDP). It will enable the testing of HTS samples in high magnetic fields across a wide range of temperatures and facilitate the development of hybrid magnets combining LTS and HTS superconductors. This paper presents an overview of the current progress in constructing the facility, including updates on the test cryostat, power supplies, and systems for quench protection and monitoring.
Fusion propulsion is inevitable if the human race remains dedicated to exploration of the solar system. There are fundamental reasons why fusion surpasses more traditional approaches to routine crewed missions to Mars, crewed missions to the outer planets, and deep space high speed robotic missions, assuming that reduced trip times, increased payloads, and higher available power are desired. A recent series of informal discussions were held among members from government, academia, and industry concerning fusion propulsion. We compiled a sufficient set of arguments for utilizing fusion in space. If the U.S. is to lead the effort and produce a working system in a reasonable amount of time, NASA must take the initiative, relying on, but not waiting for, DOE guidance. In this talk those arguments for fusion propulsion are presented, along with fusion enabled mission examples, fusion technology trade space, and a proposed outline for future efforts.
This evaluation was prepared at the request of DOE-FES and expands on an earlier evaluation prepared by Wilson, Wiffen and Keiser in 2015 (attached as Appendices A and B). Additional useful information for materials in fission molten salt reactor systems that use FLiBe can be found in a prior NRC report [Busby 2019]. The purpose of this report is to review the considerations that will determine the fusion blanket structural materials that will be suitable for use in a FLiBe breeder-coolant fusion power plant (FPP). Identifying a fusion-relevant structural material that is sufficiently compatible with FLiBe is a key issue to be addressed. The constraints and trade-offs made in structural materials selection include the usual power generation requirements such as mechanical properties, fabricability and durability, which assumes reasonable compatibility with the working fluid. For an FPP, additional constraints include neutron economy (breeding ratio), resistance to irradiation damage and low activation (i.e. waste disposal) characteristics.
• Helium-3 is a vital commodity in both medical and defense applications • Ultra-low cryogenic coolant (MRI imaging, etc.) • Neutron detectors • Being investigated as possible fusion fuel • Managed and distributed by DOE-OS • New PDRD project exploring helium isotope separation • Limited supply • Only available from tritium decay • Prohibitively difficult to separate from helium-4 • SRS Tritium Facility provides a steady source