The High Energy Systems Group of Boeing has just been honored by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project for developing technologies needed to demonstrate the feasibility of producing the energy of the Sun -- fusion energy -- on Earth.

The award recipients and presentors pictured at left are: (top row) Dr. Charles Baker (U.S. ITER Home Team), Jim Naeger, Dr. Allen Atkins, John Davis, Dr. Dan Driemeyer, and Dr. Michael Ulrickson (Sandia National Laboratory); (seated) Ted Hellwig, Dick Cole, Joe Lodato, and Kevin Slattery. This award was given in recognition of outstanding design, R&D, and fabrication efforts in overcoming the many first-of-a-kind complexities and challenges on the international integration and manufacture of the full-scale ITER Divertor System Cassette. More details can be found on the Boeing ITER Divertor System web page.

At the same award ceremony, Mrs. Barbara Cooper, on behalf of U.S. Congressman, Jim Talent, presented a United States House of Representatives Award to Dr. Allen Atkins. The award stated: "As the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, it is my privilege to recognize The Boeing Company, on the occasion of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Award Ceremony. The efforts of the Boeing (MDC) team to develop this important divertor component, stands as a testament to Boeing, and the numerous small businesses which have made important contributions to this project."
Signed, Jim Talent

The Boeing High Energy Systems group within the Information, Space and Defense Systems organization in St. Louis has been formed to examine solutions for high temperature, high heat flux problems primarily associated with fusion energy applications. Hardware subsystems have been designed and built by The Boeing Company for the PISCES Upgrade experiment and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) to operate at very high heat flux levels in very demanding environments. As evidence of the ability to transfer technologies between fusion and aerospace applications, the fabrication of high heat flux components has been demonstrated with High Speed Machining of Copper Alloys. We also are providing conceptual design, systems analysis, and program management for conceptual designs of future commercial products.

Examine our pages to learn more about these technologies and solutions.

The High Energy Systems (HES) group is led by John W. Davis who has been with the original fusion group since its inception in the early 1970's. It is appropriate that his background is in high temperature materials as fusion demands the use of innovative, high-temperature materials. In addition to leading the HES group, he is the program manager on the ITER Material Properties Handbook project.

Boeing Is Helping To Design and Build an International Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor

Boeing has been participating in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program as a part of the US ITER Home Team and the US fusion program funded by U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, OFES. This is viewed as an opportunity for Boeing to transfer aerospace technology into non-aerospace applications, acquire new technologies to produce more affordable and reliable aerospace components, obtain insights into technologies and processes of industries outside the US, and better understand international technology initiatives. McDonnell Douglas Corporation, now a part of The Boeing Company, has been working in fusion for 22 years, beginning with a request from the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

For more information, you may select any of the program areas we are currently supporting.

• Starlite/ARIES (Boeing Efforts) Starlite/ARIES is a multi-institutional program dedicated to perform integrated assessments of fusion concepts as attractive commercial fusion power plants, including improved tokamak and alternate confinement concepts. The assessments combine plasma physics, neutronics, component design, systems engineering, economics, and safety analyses. The Boeing Program Manager is Lester M. Waganer. Boeing is providing program leadership, design, and analysis support for the integrated assessment ARIES team. For more information about the complete Starlite program or the ARIES team, contact the ARIES Public Site.

• ITER Test Blanket (Boeing Efforts) Boeing is leading the US industrial team to help design the US Demo tritium-breeding blanket to be tested in ITER. The current program effort is directed to define the mechanical interfaces between the test blanket systems for the four international parties and the ITER device. The Boeing Program Manager is Lester M. Waganer. A major co-contractor is Rocketdyne Division of Boeing North American, Inc.

• ITER Shield Blanket (Boeing Efforts) Boeing is leading the US industrial team to help design and develop the ITER shielding blanket. In addition to the design and analysis efforts, Boeing is helping to develop low-cost fabrication techniques for the high heat flux components essential to the success of ITER. The Boeing Program Manager for both the research and development (R&D) contract and the design contract is G. Dave Morgan. Subcontractors are: Westinghouse Science and Technology Center, General Atomics, University of Illinois, and University of Wisconsin.

• ITER Divertor (Boeing Efforts) Boeing leads the industrial team to perform the design, analysis and R&D on the ITER divertor cassette and the plasma facing components. Subscale components are being fabricated and tested, which will lead to a full scale divertor to be assembled Boeing in 1998. The Boeing Program Manager for both the R&D contract and the design contract is Dan Driemeyer. Subcontractors are: Westinghouse Science and Technology Center, General Atomics, Raytheon Engineers and Constructors, Rocketdyne Division of Boeing North American, Inc., Brush Wellman, and the University of Illinois.

• ITER Material Properties Handbook (Boeing Efforts) Boeing is developing a fusion material properties handbook for use in the ITER Project (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). The data for high temperature, radiation resistant, and low-activation materials is being collected from the four international parties for use in designing the ITER device. The Boeing Program Manager is John W. Davis.

• PISCES-Upgrade (Boeing Efforts) Boeing is the prime contractor to design, fabricate, and install an experimental plasma facility at the University of California, San Diego to investigate erosion and redeposition processes related to tokamak divertor plasmas. The Boeing Program Manager is Lester M. Waganer. The principal subcontractor is General Atomics.

Several of the above descriptions include both research and development as well as design efforts. The design tasks are included in a master ITER Design Services contract. Boeing is the principal contractor for these ITER contracts for the areas of plasma facing components, blankets, and material databases.