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The actual limitations for the trapped field in YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) monoliths are discussed. The influence of the sample geometry and of the critical current density on the trapped field is investigated by numerical calculations. The field dependence of the critical current density strongly influences the trapped field. A nonlinear relationship between the sample size, the critical current density and the resulting trapped field is derived. The maximum achievable trapped field in YBCO at 77 K is found to be around 2.5 T. This limit is obtained for reasonable geometries and high but realistic critical current densities. Such high fields have not been reached experimentally so far, due to non-optimized flux pinning and material inhomogeneities. These inhomogeneities can be directly assessed by the magnetoscan technique, and their influence is discussed. Significant differences between the a- and the c-growth sectors were found. Limitations due to cracks and non-superconducting inclusions (e.g. 211 particles) are estimated and found to be candidates for variations of Jc on a millimetre length scale, as observed in experiments.

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Keywords: Nuclear fusion Inertial confinement Magnetic confinement Radiation damage Materials DiagnosticsThis work aims at identifying common potential problems that future fusion devices will encounter for both magnetic and inertial confinement approaches in order to promote joint efforts and to avoid duplication of research. Firstly, a comparison of radiation environments found in both fusion reaction chambers will be presented. Then, wall materials, optical components, cables and electronics will be discussed, pointing to possible future areas of common research. Finally, a brief discussion of experimental techniques available to simulate the radiation effect on materials is included.

The first wall armour for the reactor chamber of HiPER will have to face short energy pulses of 5 to 20 MJ mostly in the form of x-rays and charged particles at a repetition rate of 5-10 Hz. Armour material and chamber dimensions have to be chosen to avoid/minimize damage to the chamber, ensuring the proper functioning of the facility during its planned lifetime. The maximum energy fluence that the armour can withstand without risk of failure, is determined by temporal and spatial deposition of the radiation energy inside the material. In this paper, simulations on the thermal effect of the radiation-armour interaction are carried out with an increasing definition of the temporal and spatial deposition of energy to prove their influence on the final results. These calculations will lead us to present the first values of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the tungsten armour designed for the HiPER project under a shock ignition target of 48 MJ. The results will show that only the crossing of the plasticity limit in the first few micrometres might be a threat after thousands of shots for the survivability of the armour.

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The European HiPER project aims to demonstrate commercial viability of inertial fusion energy within the following two decades. This goal requires an extensive Research & Development program on materials for different applications (e.g., first wall, structural components and final optics). In this paper we will discuss our activities in the framework of HiPER to develop materials studies for the different areas of interest. The chamber first wall will have to withstand explosions of at least 100 MJ at a repetition rate of 5-10 Hz. If direct drive targets are used, a dry wall chamber operated in vacuum is preferable. In this situation the major threat for the wall stems from ions. For reasonably low chamber radius (5-10 m) new materials based on W and C are being investigated, e.g., engineered surfaces and nanostructured materials. Structural materials will be subject to high fluxes of neutrons leading to deleterious effects, such as, swelling. Low activation advanced steels as well as new nanostructured materials are being investigated. The final optics lenses will not survive the extreme ion irradiation pulses originated in the explosions. Therefore, mitigation strategies are being investigated. In addition, efforts are being carried out in understanding optimized conditions to minimize the loss of optical properties by neutron and gamma irradiation.