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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
G. L. Kulcinski, R. G. Brown, R. G. Lott, P. A. Sanger
Nuclear Technology | Volume 22 | Number 1 | April 1974 | Pages 20-35
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor Materials / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A16271
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A detailed analysis of the radiation damage problems to be expected in a specific D-T fueled fusion reactor has been conducted. The system examined is the 5000-MW(th) University of Wisconsin Tokamak reactor (UWMAK), which is constructed of 20% cold-worked Type-316 stainless steel and operated at a maximum temperature of 500°C and a neutron wall loading of 1.25 MW/m2. The major radiation damage problem appears to be the loss in ductility; that is, the uniform elongation of the Type-316 stainless steel in the UWMAK-I first wall may fall to <0.5% after one to two years of operation. Another serious problem will be the void-induced swelling in the steel. Based on current design equations, the swelling in the steel of the first wall will exceed the design limit of 10% in approximately five years of operation. The wall erosion rate due to neutron and charged-particle sputtering, coupled with exfoliation due to blistering, is calculated to be 0.22 mm/yr. Finally, calculations reveal that the radiation damage problems in the superconducting magnets can be incorporated into the design without difficulty. The integral wall-loading limits for embrittlement, swelling, wall erosion, and magnet damage in UWMAK are calculated to be 2, 6, 25, and 100 MW yr/m2, respectively.