Utilization of Refractory Metals and Alloys in Fusion Reactor Structures

Übeylı, Mustafa; Yalçın, Şenay

doi:10.1007/s10894-006-9019-4

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In addition, a conservative approach to manufacturing risk and the costs of qualifying new materials have further restricted the range of options considered, leading to a narrow reliance on copper alloys such as CuCrZr for water cooled designs and tungsten for higher temperature helium cooled concepts. Refractory alloys other than tungsten have historically featured prominently in attempts to design higher power density concepts, but have ultimately been sidelined due to a strict adherence to activation limits or concerns about hydrogen compatibility [19,20]. In addition, these studies have tended to make decisions based on performance at a single temperature point, rather than evaluating performance at a range of operating conditions.…”

Section: Structural Materials Selection Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Refractory metals as structural materials for fusion high heat flux components

Hancock

Homfray

Porton

et al. 2018

Journal of Nuclear Materials

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Tungsten is the favoured armour material for plasma facing components for future fusion reactors, but studies examining the use of tungsten or other refractory metals in the underlying cooled structures have historically excluded them, leaving current concepts heavily dependent on copper alloys such as copper chrome zirconium. This paper first outlines the challenge of selecting an appropriate alternative material for this application, with reference to historical selection methodology and design solutions, and then reexamines the use of refractory metals in the light of current design priorities and manufacturing techniques. The rationale for considering refractory alloys as structural materials is discussed, showing how this is the result of relatively small changes to the logic previously applied, with a greater emphasis on high temperature operation, a re-evaluation of current costs, a relaxation of absolute activation limits, and the availability of advanced manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing. A set of qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria are proposed, drawing on the requirements detailed in the first section; including thermal and mechanical performance, radiation damage tolerance, manufacturability, and cost and availability. Considering these criteria in parallel rather than sequence gives a less binary approach to material selection and instead provides a strengths and weaknesses based summary from which more nuanced conclusions can be drawn. Data on relevant material properties for a range of candidate materials, including elemental refractory metals and a selection of related alloys are gathered from a range of sources and collated using a newly developed set of tools written in the python language. These tools are then used to apply the aforementioned assessment criteria and display the results. The lack of relevant data for a number of promising materials is highlighted, and although a conclusive best material cannot be identified, refractory alloys in general are proposed as worthy of further investigation.

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Section: Structural Materials Selection Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, exposure to hydrogen causes embrittlement, and this has historically the cause of most concern (e.g. [16,20]). The degree of embrittlement, particularly when combined with radiation effects, depends heavily on partial pressure of hydrogen and operating temperature of the component.…”

Section: Tokamak Gassesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refractory metals as structural materials for fusion high heat flux components

Hancock

Homfray

Porton

et al. 2018

Journal of Nuclear Materials

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“…Refractory alloys with high strength and ductility are needed for efficient energy generation and other applications [1][2][3][4]. High entropy alloys (HEAs) and other multi-principal element materials (MPEMs) might meet the demands of advanced technologies [5][6][7][8][9][10], however optimizing properties and processing in the high dimensional composition space presents a challenge for the design of new alloys [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear deformation and elasticity of BCC refractory metals and alloys

Raghuraman¹,

Widom²,

Gao³

2022

Preprint

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Application of isotropic pressure or uniaxial strain alters the elastic properties of materials; sufficiently large strains can drive structural transformations. Linear elasticity describes stability against infinitesimal strains, while nonlinear elasticity describes the response to finite deformations.It was previously shown that uniaxial strain along [100] drives refractory metals and alloys towards mechanical instabilities. These include an extensional instability, and a symmetry-breaking orthorhombic distortion caused by a Jahn-Teller-Peierls instability that splays the cubic lattice vectors. Here, we analyze these transitions in depth. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Wallace tensor identify and classify linear instabilities in the presence of strain. We show that both instabilities are discontinuous, leading to discrete jumps in the lattice parameters. We provide physical intuition for the instabilities by analyzing the changes in first principles energy, stress, bond lengths and angles upon application of strain. Electronic band structure calculations show differential occupation of bonding and anti-bonding orbitals, driven by the changing bond lengths and leading to the structural transformations. Strain thresholds for these instabilities depend on the valence electron count.

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