Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites
With significant improvement in High Temperature Superconductors (HTS), several projects are adopting HTS technology for fusion power systems. Compact HTS tokamaks offer potential advantages including lower plant costs, enhanced plasma control, and ultimately lower cost of electricity. However, as c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnuen.2024.1352667/full |
| _version_ | 1797305248165920768 |
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| author | Devanshi Bhardwaj Bin Cheng David J. Sprouster William S. Cunningham Nirmala Rani Jason R. Trelewicz Jason R. Trelewicz Lance L. Snead |
| author_facet | Devanshi Bhardwaj Bin Cheng David J. Sprouster William S. Cunningham Nirmala Rani Jason R. Trelewicz Jason R. Trelewicz Lance L. Snead |
| author_sort | Devanshi Bhardwaj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With significant improvement in High Temperature Superconductors (HTS), several projects are adopting HTS technology for fusion power systems. Compact HTS tokamaks offer potential advantages including lower plant costs, enhanced plasma control, and ultimately lower cost of electricity. However, as compact reactors have a reduced radial build to accommodate shielding, HTS degradation due to radiation damage or heating is a significant and potentially design limiting issue. Shielding must mitigate threats to the superconducting coils: neutron cascade damage, heat deposition and potentially organic insulator damage due x-rays. Unfortunately, there are currently no hi-performance shielding materials to enable the potential performance enhancement offered by HTS. In this work, we present a manufacturing method to fabricate a new class of composite shields that are high performance, high operating temperature, and simultaneously neutron absorbing and neutron moderating. The composite design consists of an entrained metal-hydride phase within a radiation stable MgO ceramic host matrix. We discuss the fabrication, characterization, and thermophysical performance data for a series of down-selected composite materials inspired by future fusion core designs and their operational performance metrics. To our knowledge these materials represent the first ceramic composite shield materials containing significant metal hydrides. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:22:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b1b5f780a5e14dcd8e397f384401d761 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2813-3412 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:22:12Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-b1b5f780a5e14dcd8e397f384401d7612024-02-16T04:37:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering2813-34122024-02-01310.3389/fnuen.2024.13526671352667Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield compositesDevanshi Bhardwaj0Bin Cheng1David J. Sprouster2William S. Cunningham3Nirmala Rani4Jason R. Trelewicz5Jason R. Trelewicz6Lance L. Snead7Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesDepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesDepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesDepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesDepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesDepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesInstitute for Advanced Computational Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesDepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United StatesWith significant improvement in High Temperature Superconductors (HTS), several projects are adopting HTS technology for fusion power systems. Compact HTS tokamaks offer potential advantages including lower plant costs, enhanced plasma control, and ultimately lower cost of electricity. However, as compact reactors have a reduced radial build to accommodate shielding, HTS degradation due to radiation damage or heating is a significant and potentially design limiting issue. Shielding must mitigate threats to the superconducting coils: neutron cascade damage, heat deposition and potentially organic insulator damage due x-rays. Unfortunately, there are currently no hi-performance shielding materials to enable the potential performance enhancement offered by HTS. In this work, we present a manufacturing method to fabricate a new class of composite shields that are high performance, high operating temperature, and simultaneously neutron absorbing and neutron moderating. The composite design consists of an entrained metal-hydride phase within a radiation stable MgO ceramic host matrix. We discuss the fabrication, characterization, and thermophysical performance data for a series of down-selected composite materials inspired by future fusion core designs and their operational performance metrics. To our knowledge these materials represent the first ceramic composite shield materials containing significant metal hydrides.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnuen.2024.1352667/fullceramic matrix compositefusion shieldcompact fusion systemssinteringthermal conductivity |
| spellingShingle | Devanshi Bhardwaj Bin Cheng David J. Sprouster William S. Cunningham Nirmala Rani Jason R. Trelewicz Jason R. Trelewicz Lance L. Snead Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering ceramic matrix composite fusion shield compact fusion systems sintering thermal conductivity |
| title | Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites |
| title_full | Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites |
| title_fullStr | Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites |
| title_short | Fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites |
| title_sort | fabrication of neutron absorbing metal hydride entrained ceramic matrix shield composites |
| topic | ceramic matrix composite fusion shield compact fusion systems sintering thermal conductivity |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnuen.2024.1352667/full |
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