Optimising Tempering Precipitation in Castable Nanostructured Alloys for Nuclear Fusion Applications

The experiment aims to characterise fully the particle populations of a family of next-generation structural steels for use in the breeder blankets of fusion reactors. The alloys, Castable Nanostructured Alloys (CNAs), use advanced thermo-mechanical processing techniques to create a dense particle dispersion of nanoscale carbide and/or nitride [MX and M23C6] precipitates. These greatly increase the alloys’ high-temperature strength and creep resistance while improving their radiation damage tolerance, potentially enabling significantly enhanced reactor operation and lifetime. The nanoparticle size distributions of various CNAs will be determined by Small Angle Neutron Scattering linked to their compositions and thermomechanical processing parameters. As the particle distribution governs material behaviour, the CNAs can be optimised advancing the technology readiness of fusion reactors.