Neutron Imaging & Fusion
Our compact fusion machine generates a steady stream of high-energy neutrons.
All Neutron ApplicationsNeutron Imaging and Fusion
Neutrons sail through centimetres-thick steels, aluminums, and titanium alloys, yet they are strongly attenuated by hydrogen, lithium, gadolinium, and other key elements. In a neutron radiograph, features like trapped water, lithium transport, or gadolinium-tagged ceramics appear in sharp contrast to surrounding metal. This unique sensitivity makes neutron imaging an exceptional tool for detecting internal features that are invisible to traditional X-rays.
From jet-engine airfoils to next-generation batteries, today’s high-performance systems rely on lighter alloys, thinner walls, and complex internal geometries. But these advances come at a cost—hidden voids, trapped moisture, and leftover manufacturing debris are harder than ever to detect. A single missed flaw can ground a fleet or destroy a mission. Neutron imaging offers a non-destructive and non-invasive way to inspect high-value components with spatial resolution down to tens of microns. It plays a critical role in R&D, failure analysis, and quality assurance for parts ranging from turbine blades to solid rocket motors.
Neutron imaging is currently used for a number of research and industrial applications.
Application
What Neutrons Reveal
Further Reading
Aerospace turbine blades
Residual ceramic-core fragments, clogged cooling channels and early hot-corrosion sites inside Ni-based super-alloy blades.
Simultaneous transmission + diffraction imaging of single-crystal airfoils (2015) ScienceDirect
Sealed Li-ion batteries
Real-time maps of electrolyte flow, gas evolution, and Li plating during fast charge/abuse with no cell teardown required.
Scientific Reports “Gas Evolution in Operating Li-ion Batteries Studied In Situ by Neutron Imaging” (2015) Nature
Composite structures
Sub-surface moisture ingress and delamination deep inside CFRP/GFRP laminates for wind, aero and H₂ tanks.
2024 review “Neutron imaging of moisture transport… in geopolymer/composite materials” ScienceDirect
Energetic devices (propellants, warheads)
Voids, cracks and density variations in hydrogen-rich PBX or RDX fills inside steel shells, critical for safe detonation.
SANS/USANS study of internal void morphology in RDX (J. Appl. Phys., 2010) X-MOL
Spent-fuel & fresh-fuel rods
Pellet cracks, hydride blisters and axial gaps through zircaloy cladding; fast-neutron tomography can image full dry-cask stacks.
“Feasibility of Fast Neutron Imaging of Spent-Fuel Dry-Storage Casks” (2019) resources.inmm.org
Additive manufacturing (AM)
Operando neutron diffraction tracks layer-by-layer residual-stress evolution, enabling 4-D “stress-printing”.
Nature Communications “Operando neutron diffraction reveals mechanisms… in 3D printing” (2023) Nature
Expanding Neutron Radiography with Fusion Neutrons
The promise of neutron imaging has long been clear, but the practicality and availability of neutron sources have historically limited its application. For decades, only fission research reactors and spallation sources were capable of producing the neutron flux required for imaging. As a result, access was scarce, centralized, and costly making routine use impractical outside of a limited number of often government owned facilities. Only recently have fusion neutron sources begun to expand the application space for this powerful imaging technique.
As fusion technology continues to mature, the practicality, affordability, and accessibility of neutron generation are improving rapidly. This progress in availability stands to unlock a new era for neutron imaging, enabling broader industrial adoption, accelerating materials research, and bringing advanced quality assurance tools to sectors that have never had access to them before.
