Implications of fusion power plant studies for materials requirements

Abstract

This paper addresses the key requirements for fusion materials, as these have emerged from studies of commercial fusion power plants. The objective of the international fusion programme is the creation of power stations that will have very attractive safety and environmental features and viable economics. Fusion power plant studies have shown that these objectives may be achieved without requiring extreme advances in materials. But it is required that existing candidate materials perform at least as well as envisaged in the environment of fusion neutrons, heat fluxes and particle fluxes. The development of advanced materials would bring further benefits. The work required entails the investigation of many intellectually exciting physics issues of great scientific interest, and of wider application than fusion. In addition to giving an overview, selected aspects of the science, of particular physics interest, are illustrated.

The transfer of energy between electrons and ions in solids

“…The bombardment of materials by high energy heavy particles occurs in a number of situations. Ions with energies of the order of 10 keV are used for ion implantation in semiconductors [43], while in hydrogen fusion powerplants materials of quite extraordinary resilience would be required to surround the region containing the plasma because they would be subjected to bombardment by highly energetic neutrons (14.1 MeV) and other particles as well as exposure to very high temperatures [44].…”

Assessment of Deformation Field during High Strain Rate Tensile Tests of RAFM Steel Using DIC Technique

“…In the present study RAFM steel is used, which is the chosen material for the first wall of the fusion reactor test blanket module in ITER, which is supposed to retain adequate mechanical properties under intense neutron irradiation (~14.1 MeV energy) and high thermo-mechanical loads during reactor operation [9][10][11]. The flow behaviour of this material under high strain rates is extremely important towards structural integrity of this component.…”

The value of materials R&D in the fast track development of fusion power

“…There are many benefits of advances in materials [5] which include high neutron resilience; high temperature operation; low cost, high performance superconductors, and high heat flux tolerance. Only a few of these can be discussed here.…”