Research Needs for Magnetic Fusion Energy Sciences - US Burning ...

e emphasized that bulk material property data from a fusion relevant neutron source would inform
the design, construction and licensing of such facilities. Further, preceding the development
and operation of any nuclear facilities, many nonnuclear test facilities will be needed to qualify
materials for the unprecedented thermo-mechanical loading conditions that will occur in nextstep
fusion nuclear devices. Finally, multi-physics models of time-dependent structural performance
and lifetimes must be established, so that benchmarking in the nonnuclear and nuclear facilities
can be translated into a meaningful basis to design the next generation of fusion reactors.
Implement an integrated design and testing approach for developing materials, components, and
structures for fusion power plants.
design of fusion power systems faces a significant challenge in that neither the materials property
database, nor the requisite computational tools, nor the fusion-relevant design rules and codes
currently exist for reliable integrity and lifetime assessments of fusion reactor components and
structures. existing thermo-mechanical property data and high-temperature design methodologies
are not adequate to permit even preliminary designs of a fusion power system. development
of fusion relevant design rules and tools are needed. successful design of a fusion power system
will require close integration between materials development activities and system design processes.
The commonly used “function-oriented” material design process must be replaced with a
concurrent material-component-structure design process.
Fusion energy clearly presents an enormous materials-structural engineering challenge given the
unprecedented requirements of an attractive power system. For example, new design and in-service
performance computational tools must be developed to replace simplistic high-temperature
design and operational rules. These tools must ultimately be incorporated in design codes and
regulatory requirements. neither the designer nor the material developer can proceed without
input from the other, and the development of materials requires and becomes an integral part of
the system design process.
material models, structural models, and design codes must be combined with models of damage
and history-dependent synergistic failure paths that are controlled by complex interactions of
numerous variables, processes and properties in the fusion environment. Guided by engineering
design information, the integrated models must be informed by well-designed experiments, supported
by high-quality material property databases that underpin models of the effects of longterm
service, and benchmarked by pertinent component-structure level testing.
The required program includes a significantly increased commitment to materials-oriented efforts
in how materials designers, engineers and developers can develop and incorporate the tools
necessary to move forward. it also includes significantly increased commitments, and complementary
and strongly coupled efforts, in the development of Fusion nuclear science and technology
(Thrust 13), in plasma facing components and plasma-surface interactions (Thrusts 10 and
12), and overall integration (Thrust 12 and others). The activities of this Thrust element will also
be closely coordinated and linked with Thrust 15.
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