The achievement by the Neutron Irradiation of Advanced Steels (Neurone) consortium produced fusion-grade reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel on an industrial scale using a seven-tonne electric arc furnace at the Materials Processing Institute (MPI) in Middlesborough, northeast England.
David Bowden, UKAEA's materials science and engineering group team leader and Neurone program leader, stated that one of the biggest challenges to delivering fusion energy is to develop structural materials that can resist the extreme temperatures of at least 650 °C and high neutron loads that future fusion power plants will require. “These materials must withstand high neutron loads, extreme temperatures and radiation levels to maintain the integrity of the fusion plant,” Bowden continued.
Utilizing existing and easily scalable infrastructure, the Neurone manufacturing approach has the potential to significantly reduce production costs by up to 10 times compared to conventional RAFM counterparts. MPI carried out fabrication and testing of specialist high-temperature steels, initially on a laboratory scale, before moving to industrial-scale trials in an electric arc furnace.
“The production of 5.5 tons of fusion-grade RAFM steel lays the foundation for cost-effective production of such steel for future commercial fusion programs,” stated Richard Birley, leader of the Neurone project at MPI.
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