Low activation ferritic alloys for nuclear fusion reactors

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6168927

Gelles, D S

The fusion power reactor concept has an inherent advantage over fission reactor designs; the radioactivity of the fuel decays rapidly with time. However, this inherent advantage will be lost unless reactor structural materials can be employed which have similar advantages. Elemental additions of Nb, Mo, Ni, and N have half lives which will lead to high levels of radioactivity even after 100 years of storage. Therefore, the Office of Fusion Energy, DOE has funded development of low activation alloys, i.e., alloys with very limited additions of Nb, Mo, Ni and N. This paper describes the design and testing of one series of alloys from one of the classes of materials being studied. The alloys are bainitic or martensitic stainless steels which have tungsten and/or vanadium substituted for molybdenum. Alloy selection criterion, production and testing will be described including microstructural examination and mechanical properties testing following irradiation by fast neutrons in a liquid metal cooled fast breeder reactor. The results demonstrate that martensitic stainless steels in the Fe-9 to 12 Cr range appear most promising for fusion structural materials applications.

• Research Organization: Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76FF02170
• OSTI ID: 6168927
• Report Number(s): HEDL-SA-3379; CONF-870272-7-Vugraphs; ON: DE87010711
• Resource Relation: Conference: American Institute of Metallurgical Engineers annual meeting: light metals session, Denver, CO, USA, 22 Feb 1987; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
FERRITIC STEELS
MATERIALS TESTING
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
RADIOACTIVATION
DESIGN
MARTENSITE
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
ALLOYS
CARBON ADDITIONS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
STEELS
TESTING
700209* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Component Development & Materials Testing
360103 - Metals & Alloys- Mechanical Properties
360106 - Metals & Alloys- Radiation Effects