A NEA review on innovative structural materials solutions, including advanced manufacturing processes for nuclear applications based on technology readiness assessment

Materials for Sustainable Nuclear Energy: A European Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for All Reactor Generations

“…In this context, what is, really, an "innovative nuclear material solution"? It should be interpreted as one that "enables significant improvements in reactor design and operation", for instance leading to increased safety and efficiency, enhanced flexibility and/or prolonged component lifetime [221], as well as potentially cost abatement, irrespective of whether it actually rapidly accesses a market, which in the nuclear field often does not exist, yet, or is limited.…”

“…Accelerated development through systematic screening is eventually best achieved by the creation of suitable integrated platforms in which, with the help of robotic systems, the above described methodology of combinatorial manufacturing and high-performance characterization of materials, as well as AI/ML methods, are incorporated in an integrated and automated way, thereby becoming autonomous materials discovery systems (autonomous materials discovery), as put forward and explained in [218][219][220], and specifically for nuclear applications in [221]. Platforms of this type, called Material Acceleration Platforms, MAPs [222] are being developed and applied with some degree of success in the case of functional materials, such as for lithium batteries [211], also in Europe (BIG-MAP project [223]), and for carbon nanotubes [224].…”

“…EERA was created in 2008 in support of the European Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan [264], which had been launched in 2007. EERA promotes cooperation among almost 250 (in 2021) public research organisations, under the motto "catalysing European energy research for a climate-neutral society by 2050", and by focusing on low Technology Readiness Levels (TRL < 5 [221]), i.e., mainly dealing with research towards innovation. In contrast, industrial implementation (TRL > 5) characterises the technology platforms and the industrial initiatives, which are described in what follows in the case of nuclear energy.…”

A Review of the Latest Developments in the Field of Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Nuclear Reactors

“…The corresponding tensile tests have shown that the mechanical properties of AM produced T91 materials at room temperature and up to 600 °C were very similar to those measured on wrought-processed T91 while the yield stress of the former measured at 600 °C was a factor of 2 higher than that of the latter. The microstructure measurement presented that the AM produced T91 materials exhibited a heterogeneous microstructure composed of large ferrite grains with some areas containing martensite, carbides and platelet [31]. The mechanical properties of the IN718 alloy fabricated by WAAM were investigated under high temperatures.…”

Development of a maturity model for additive manufacturing: A conceptual model proposal

“…Commercial-scale fabrication Proposal of a Technology Readiness Level scale, adapted from Ref. [ 54 ], to estimate the maturity of innovative structural materials and manufacturing processes, such as additive manufacturing, by incorporating experimentation, irradiation, and qualification/licensing based aspects 2021 [ 55 ] Bibliometric Method for Assessing Technological Maturity (BIMATEM) Emerging TLC stage corresponding to TRLs 1–5 when technological concepts are observed (TRL 1), formulated (TRL 2), experimented (TRL 3), validated in the laboratory (TRL 4), and validated in a relevant condition (TRL 5); Growing TLC stage corresponding to TRLs 6 and 7 when prototypes are demonstrated; Mature TLC stage corresponding to TRLs 8 and 9 when the technology is proven, and deployed in an operational environment; Declining TLC stage The method aims at quantitatively estimating the level of technological maturity through the comparison of technology records contained in scientific literature, patents, and news databases (bibliometric records) with each stage of the technology life cycle (TLC). The estimate of technological maturity is materialised through the technology readiness level (TRL), as an approximation of the TLC stages 2018 [ 56 ] Education Readiness Levels (ERLs) General definitions of Education Readiness Levels (ERLs) for each scale: ERL 9: Scope for alterations with multiple iterations; ERL 8: Actual course completed and qualified; ERL 7: Criteria validation in an operational environment; ERL 6: Revaluation after trial completed with changes; ERL 5: Criteria validation in trial environment; ERL 4: Criteria validation in controlled environment; ERL 3: Active proof of concept developed for estimate; ERL 2: Consideration of factors affecting criteria; ERL 1: Basic numbers estimated and reported; ERL 0: No information received; NA: Not Applicable for this Critical Element Critical elements: class size, cost, depth of content, facilities, instructor(s), course material, and target audience Education Readiness Levels aim to assess the “readiness” of courses and training modules based on seven critical elements.…”