The development of first wall, blanket and divertor materials that are capable of withstanding for many years high neutron and heat fluxes, is a critical path to fusion power. Therefore, the timely availability of a sound materials database has become an indispensable element in international fusion road maps. In order to provide materials design data for the short-term needs of ITER test blanket modules (TBMs) and for a DEMOnstration fusion reactor, a wealth of R&D results on the European reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel EUROFER, and on oxide dispersion strengthened variants are being characterized, mainly in the temperature window 250–650°C. The characterization includes irradiations up to 15 dpa in the mixed spectrum reactor HFR and up to 75 dpa in the fast breeder reactor BOR60. Industrial EUROFER-batches of 3.5 and 7.5 tons have been produced with a variety of semi-finished, quality-assured product forms. To increase the thermal efficiency of blankets, high temperature resistant SiCf/SiC channel inserts for liquid metal coolant tubes are also developed. Regarding radiation damage resistance, broad based reactor irradiation programmes deal with several ranges from ≤ 5 dpa (ITER TBMs) up to 75 dpa (DEMO). For the European divertor designers, a materials database is currently being set up for pure W and its alloys, and related reactor irradiations are foreseen with temperatures from 650°C to 1000°C.
Present status of liquid metal research for a fusion reactor