Ponente
Descripción
The first objective of the EUROfusion Work Package Materials is the characterization and qualification of the three baseline materials, i.e. EUROFER97 steel for blankets and divertor cassette structure, tungsten as plasma facing armor material, and copper-chromium-zirconium (CuCrZr) for divertor heat-sinks. Qualification of the industrially available baseline materials, up to a level sufficient for nuclear licensing, is pursued by means of experimental testing and characterization activities before and after exposure to fusion reactor relevant neutron irradiation conditions with strong emphasis on traceability and quality assurance. This also comprises the preparation for neutron irradiation campaigns to be performed in IFMIF-DONES, by the qualification of testing methods and definition of testing standards.
The second objective is the development, characterization and industrialization of few risk-mitigation alternative structural, heat-sink and plasma-facing materials with improved operational performance - i.e. radiation resistance, increased design window and/or other risk minimizing features. This is an essential part of the risk-mitigation strategy towards a Fusion Power Plant, in case baseline materials would not meet future operational requirements. This requires substantial involvement from industry partners and the qualification of the materials under neutron irradiation in parallel to the activities performed for the baseline materials.
The third pillar concerns the selection, characterization and qualification under operation relevant neutron loading conditions of functional materials, i.e. optical and dielectric materials for diagnostics and H&CD as well as insulator materials for breeding blanket and divertor applications.
Tracking of the advancement of material maturity is done by the assessment of the Materials Technology Readiness Level (MTRL) with the aim to advance material maturity to level 7 (System prototype demonstration in an operational environment). Thereby, baseline materials currently exhibit maturity levels between 4-5 where system integration issues become increasingly important. Therefore, maturation of materials to level 7 cannot only be done by tests using basic material specimens but also is dependent on the maturation of the system for which it will be used. The actual roadmap towards MTRL 7 will be sketched and existing obstacles and time-constraints outlined.
