Ponente
Descripción
The UK Atomic Energy Authority–led NEURONE programme is a multi-year initiative aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of advanced nuclear steels. Its primary objective is to fast-track the development, screening, and qualification of next-generation reduced-activation steels for both fusion and fission applications. These materials are designed to withstand the extreme conditions expected in future reactors, including high neutron flux, elevated temperatures, and long service lifetimes, while minimising long-term radioactive waste.
The programme integrates advanced modelling, experimental characterisation, mechanical testing, and irradiation campaigns to significantly reduce the time required to validate structural materials and enable their transition to industrial use.
A key element of NEURONE is the irradiation work package, which focuses on understanding radiation-induced microstructural evolution and the resulting changes in mechanical properties under fusion-relevant conditions. To date, this work has relied primarily on ion irradiation to simulate radiation damage and accelerate data generation. In parallel, neutron irradiation campaigns have been conducted at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and irradiation has recently commenced at BR2 to obtain engineering-relevant material properties.
These studies provide important insights into defect formation, phase stability, and hardening mechanisms, including the role of nano-oxide dispersions in enhancing microstructural stability. Ongoing efforts aim to quantify irradiation effects across a range of temperatures and doses, supported by advanced post-irradiation examination techniques. Future work will increase the dataset and strengthen its reliability.
Despite this progress, important limitations remain. Ion and fission neutron irradiation cannot fully reproduce the combined effects of displacement damage and transmutation reactions characteristic of fusion environments. In particular, the lack of high-energy neutron irradiation limits the ability to accurately assess transmutation products and their impact on long-term material performance. Addressing these challenges will require access to dedicated fusion-relevant neutron sources, such as IFMIF-DONES, which are essential for the next phase of materials qualification.