A review of tungsten: from environmental obscurity to scrutiny.

Plasma-facing materials and components in a fusion reactor are the interface between the 
plasma and the material part. The operational conditions in this environment are probably 
the most challenging parameters for any material: high power loads and large particle and 
neutron fluxes are simultaneously impinging at their surfaces. To realize fusion in a tokamak 
or stellarator reactor, given the proven geometries and technological solutions, requires an 
improvement of the thermo-mechanical capabilities of currently available materials. In its 
first part this article describes the requirements and needs for new, advanced materials for the 
plasma-facing components. Starting points are capabilities and limitations of tungsten-based 
alloys and structurally stabilized materials. Furthermore, material requirements from the 
fusion-specific loading scenarios of a divertor in a water-cooled configuration are described, 
defining directions for the material development. Finally, safety requirements for a fusion 
reactor with its specific accident scenarios and their potential environmental impact lead to 
the definition of inherently passive materials, avoiding release of radioactive material through 
intrinsic material properties. The second part of this article demonstrates current material 
development lines answering the fusion-specific requirements for high heat flux materials. 
New composite materials, in particular fiber-reinforced and laminated structures, as well 
as mechanically alloyed tungsten materials, allow the extension of the thermo-mechanical 
operation space towards regions of extreme steady-state and transient loads. Self-passivating

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Development of advanced high heat flux and plasma-facing materials

A new experimental device for infrared spectral directional emissivity measurements in a controlled atmosphere is presented. The sample holder, which permits to measure spectral directional emissivity up to 1050K, is placed inside a stainless steel sample chamber that can be evacuated or filled with different gases. The signal detection is carried out by means of a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The experimental results focus on the capability of the device to perform emissivity measurements as a function of temperature, emission angle, and in situ surface state evolution. A careful study of the sample temperature homogeneity and the measurement method has been done, including the background radiation, the apparatus response function, and temperature differences between the sample and the blackbody radiator. As a consequence, a compact expression for the sample emissivity that generalizes those previously obtained for the direct radiometric measurement method is found. The error assessment shows that the main contribution to the emissivity uncertainty is related to the sample temperature. The overall uncertainty at intermediate temperature is estimated to be around 3% at short wavelengths. Emissivity measurements of Armco iron were used in order to check the accuracy of the experimental device. The experimental results show an excellent fit with direct emissivity data accessible in the literature, as well as with the theoretical emissivity obtained from the Hagen-Rubens relation.

New experimental device for infrared spectral directional emissivity measurements in a controlled environment

C.C. Finfrock

Papers

Total hemispherical emissivity of oxidized Inconel 718 in the temperature range 300–1000°C

Vaporization of tungsten in flowing steam at high temperatures

Generation, transport, and deposition of tungsten-oxide aerosols at 1000 °C in flowing air/steam mixtures

Measurements of the specific heat of high-purity copper at temperatures below 8 K by a modified pulse-heating technique☆