The Role of Theory and Modeling in the Development of Materials for Fusion Energy

Abstract

The environmental and operational conditions of First Wall/ Blanket (FW/B) structural materials in fusion energy systems are undoubtedly amongst the harshest in any technological application. These materials must operate reliably for extended periods of times without maintenance or repair. They must withstand the assaults of high particle and heat fluxes, as well as significant thermal and mechanical forces. Rival conditions have not been experienced in other technologies, with possible exceptions in aerospace and defense applications. Moreover, the most significant dilemma here is that the actual operational environment cannot be experimentally established today, with all of the synergistic considerations of neutron spectrum, radiation dose, heat and particle flux, and gigantic FW/B module sizes. Because of these considerations, we may rely on a purely empirical and incremental boot-strapping approach (as in most human developments so far), or an approach based on data generation from non prototypical setups (e.g., small samples, fission spectra, ion irradiation, etc.), or a theoretical/computational methodology. The first approach would have been the most direct had it not been for the unacceptable risks in the construction of successively larger and more powerful fusion machines, learning from one how to do it better for the next. The last approach (theory and modeling alone) is not a very viable option, because we are not now in a position to predict materials behavior in all its aspects from purely theoretical grounds.