Abstract
Structures in high power accelerator targets,
fission reactor cores, and fusion reactor first walls are required
to have superior performance at high displacement doses and high levels
of transmutation gas production. Some issues and design solutions
are unique to the particular nuclear technology. However, many depend
upon materials response to irradiation and are similar across the
three technologies. As a particular example, spallation neutron sources
impinge a proton beam of GeV energy onto a high atomic number target.
The high displacement doses in the target structures, produced by
the impinging proton beam and by spallation neutrons, are similar
to those in high flux reactor cores and fusion reactor first walls.
Performance limiting phenomena, such as embrittlement and dimensional
instability, are the same in these three technologies. These phenomena
depend upon the same physical mechanisms in an irradiation environment.
Further, primary structural materials are often selected from the
same alloy classes and in some cases the same alloys. There are
numerous other similar requirements such as operation at elevated
temperatures under significant time-varying loads, and compatibility
with special purpose fluids for heat transfer, neutron production
or isotope breeding. In addition to the central issue of radiation
effects in metallic structural alloys, designers will be concerned
with radiation effects in polymers and ceramics, which may be employed
as seals, sensors, or insulators. Examples are discussed of problems,
and recent research and development solutions.
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