Impact properties of reduced-activation 9 wt. % Cr steels for nuclear fusion applications

Materials are currently being developed for use in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ITER; a nuclear fusion device with the aim of demonstrating the technological and scientific feasibility of fusion energy. ITER is a TOKAMAK design, which relies upon a deuterium-tritium nuclear reaction initiated in a burning plasma confined magnetically in a toroidal vacuum vessel. One of the most challenging aspects of this project is to find materials than can withstand the extreme operating environment consisting of neutron bombardment and high thermal heat fluxes. One of the classes of materials selected as candidates for further development in this application are reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steels, of which the European candidate is Eurofer ODS. This is a 9 wt. % chromium steel based upon traditional power plant steels such as modified 9Cr-1Mo. [Continues.]