Editorial

Materials performance and reliability are key issues for the safety and competitiveness of innovative nuclear fission reactor systems for increased sustainability including the development of non-electrical uses of nuclear energy, partitioning and transmutation systems, as well as thermo-nuclear fusion systems. These systems will have to feature high thermal efficiency and optimized utilization of fuel combined with minimized nuclear waste. Because of the sustainability of the nuclear option in terms of its contributions to greenhouse gas abatement and the security of energy supply, there is a renewed interest in new reactor systems, closed fuel cycle research and technology development, and nuclear process heat applications. The deployment of innovative reactor systems requires the development and qualification of new structural materials with excellent high-temperature strength, radiation and corrosion resistance in new coolant environments. To achieve the challenging materials performance requirements, focused research and testing programmes on candidate materials are being implemented worldwide. Recent developments regarding new classes of materials with improved microstructural features, such as advanced ferritic-martensitic steels, oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels, or fibrereinforced ceramic composite materials, are promising, since these materials may combine improved radiation and corrosion resistance with a high-temperature strength and toughness. In view of a timely definition of design parameters, in particular for primary circuits, new structural materials have to be qualified during the next decade within an international R&D effort. Recent progress in materials science, supported by computer modelling and advanced materials characterisation techniques, has the potential to accelerate the process of a new structural materials development and qualification. To address those issues from various perspectives, a joint European Commission (EC) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Topical Meeting on ¿¿Development of new structural materials for advanced fission and fusion reactor systems¿, was held on 5¿9 October 2009 in Barcelona (Spain). This scientific event was hosted by Fusion for Energy (F4E), in cooperation with the European Nuclear Society (ENS). The primary scope of the meeting was the direct information exchange and cross-fertilisation of different disciplines from the advanced fission and fusion communities.

ZEMAN A.;  HAEHNER Peter; 

2011-07-05

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

JRC64068

0022-3115,   

http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jnucmat,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC64068,   

10.1016/j.jnucmat.2010.09.007,