Development and characterization of advanced neutron multiplier materials
| Autor: | Pavel Vladimirov, Maxim Kolmakov, Francisco Alberto Hernandez Gonzalez, Michael Klimenkov, V. Chakin, R. Rolli, Ramil Gaisin, Michael Dürrschnabel, Michael Rieth, A.A. Goraieb, Anatoly Vechkutov, Sergey Udartsev, Nikolai Zimber, Evgeniy Frants |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Fabrication Materials science Nuclear engineering chemistry.chemical_element 02 engineering and technology Blanket 7. Clean energy 01 natural sciences 010305 fluids & plasmas chemistry.chemical_compound Beryllide 0103 physical sciences General Materials Science Neutron Ceramic Engineering & allied operations Fusion power 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Nuclear Energy and Engineering chemistry visual_art visual_art.visual_art_medium Tritium Beryllium ddc:620 0210 nano-technology |
| Zdroj: | Journal of nuclear materials, 543, Art. Nr.: 152593 Journal of Nuclear Materials |
| ISSN: | 0022-3115 1873-4820 |
| Popis: | Neutron multiplier materials are essential for self-sufficient tritium production and are closing the fuel cycle of fusion reactors. Until now, a concept of pebble bed consisting of interchanging layers of beryllium and lithium ceramic pebbles was considered for the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) tritium-breeding module of the first experimental fusion reactor ITER as well as for the next demonstration fusion reactor DEMO. However, this concept depends on the availability of large amounts of pure beryllium pebbles and is also limited by its material properties like for example the tritium accumulation under irradiation. The results of tritium retention and analytical microstructural studies of beryllium pebbles obtained within the framework of the HIDOBE irradiation campaign suggest that a significant fraction of generated tritium (up to 100% below 500°C) is trapped within helium bubbles. Being negligible in the ITER tritium-breeding module (TBM), the total accumulated tritium inventory imposes severe safety issues and exceeds acceptable limits for the DEMO blanket. Therefore, advanced neutron multiplier materials such as beryllides have to be well characterized for their applicability in the HCPB blanket of DEMO and beyond. The usage of an advanced material with lower volumetric swelling, lower tritium retention, increased irradiation and chemical resistance as well as with higher melting temperature allows to switch from the pebble bed concept to a solid hexagonal block-based one. For the fabrication of titanium beryllide samples both the semi-industrial fabrication route utilizing the hot extrusion of rods and the industrial approach using vacuum hot pressing of a Be-Ti powder mixture were explored. In this contribution, we discuss reasons for the transition from pure beryllium to beryllides, respective changes of the HCPB blanket design and a successful demonstration of the feasibility of a beryllide block fabrication by an industrial method. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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