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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
Enrico Lucon
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 56 | Number 1 | July 2009 | Pages 289-294
Fusion Materials | Eighteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST09-A8916
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Within the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) Long Term Programme activities on Material Research, several versions of EUROFER ODS (Oxide-Dispersion Strengthened) have been produced and characterized. The most promising ones to date are the so-called "2nd generation" ODS (HIPped, hot rolled and thermomechanically treated) and the "EU batch" (produced by Plansee in the form of hot rolled plates and extruded bars). These two materials have been mechanically characterized in the unirradiated condition at SCKCEN in collaboration with other European institutes by means of tensile, impact and fracture toughness tests. The same characterization has been performed at SCKCEN on the two materials after low dose irradiation at 300°C in the BR2 test reactor (1.5-1.7 dpa). The results are compared with available data from early versions of EUROFER ODS and conventional (i.e. non-ODS) EUROFER, unirradiated and irradiated under similar conditions. It is confirmed that even the most advanced ODS steels show higher tensile strength than the base material, but also significantly worse fracture toughness properties. On the other hand, the "EU batch" irradiated to 1.52 dpa shows comparatively limited irradiation sensitivity.
