The aim of this paper is to present the mechanical properties of tungsten laminate pipes made of tungsten foil and to discuss their use in innovative high temperature energy conversion systems.Tungsten is the metal with the highest melting point of all metals and would therefore be an excellent fit for high temperature applications. But tungsten has one major drawback which is its low fracture toughness at room temperature (RT) or its high brittle-to-ductile transition 2 temperature (BDTT). However, one of the extraordinary properties of tungsten is that by cold working the BDTT can be shifted to lower temperatures. At the extreme, this results in a tungsten foil with a BDTT below -120°C combined with a RT fracture toughness of 70 MPa m 1/2 .By rolling up and joining a tungsten foil, tungsten laminate pipes can be synthesized that can dissipate at least 20 J in a Charpy impact test at RT and survive a burst test at RT at 1000 bar without any residual damage. The technical maturity of these W laminate pipes is approved by high heat flux tests performed at the Plataforma Solar de Almería, Spain, as well as at the
Liquid metals appear to be attractive heat‐transport fluids, in particular if looking at their high thermal conductivities and low viscosities. Despite some pioneering technical applications in the past, complex handling, special requirements, safety concerns, and structural degradation of the materials have prevented their widespread application. However, progress in research and development on liquid‐metal science and technology has advanced considerably in the last decade, and this has opened the gate to their broader use in the short term. This requires a more differentiated view on liquid metals, particularly on the specific properties of individual fluids within the context of specific applications. By doing so, many commonly mentioned prejudices vanish or are of minor significance. At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, a comprehensive research program on liquid‐metal technology has been pursued for more than 50 years, and some of the advances in different applications will be outlined in this article.
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