Irradiation-induced gas production in REBCO-based magnet materials used for future compact fusion reactors
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Nuclear fusion is an enticing alternative to current sources of energy, with multilayered Rare-Earth Barium Copper Oxide (REBCO) coated conductors deemed pivotal in the race toward fully realized, commercially viable, and magnetic confinement fusion reactors. In this study, we simulated the ion spectrum expected to evolve from REBCO's nickel-based Hastelloy C-276 substrate and copper stabilizer in an affordable robust compact-like reactor. We then emulated this gas production through helium implantation to investigate changes in materials and superconducting properties. Our results revealed that the substrate and stabilizer are capable of producing protons energetic enough to recoil throughout the tape thickness in appreciable doses, and alphas energetic enough to deposit 7.54 × 1014 ions/cm2 or 50.1 helium appm in the superconducting layer over a 30-year reactor lifetime. The superconducting layer of SuperPower® tapes exhibited at least double the swelling rate of the other major layers, and both SuperPower and Fujikura Ltd. tapes displayed microstructural changes in the REBCO layer not observed in isotropic metals. For the estimated lifetime fluence, the Fujikura tapes showed a ∼1 K reduction in critical temperature and a 32% degradation in critical current for compact reactor-relevant conditions (16 T, 20 K). Nuclear transmutation, low-temperature solder implantations, gas-ion evolution, the influence of gas production on vortex dynamics, and other related considerations are also discussed.
Source: Journal of Applied Physics
DOI: 10.1063/5.0263824
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Office of Science, National Nuclear Security Administration, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Division of Materials Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Institute for Materials Science, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Awards: G1017065088, G1019936685, G1071216263, G1079818582, G1143651532, G1279347439, G1286236842, G1450490271, G1527848044, G160417787, G1863003419, Development of mineral insulated high field superconducting magnet for next generation particle physics experiment, G222768804, G2821925151, G2900453181, G3083819904, G3967535168, G419881185, 沿海低地帯の地盤沈下の実態と災害の解明, G42916606, G4490907542, G4501827968, FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES FOR FUSIONREACTOR MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT, FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES FOR FUSIONREACTOR MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT, G498139845, G5959673500, G604949671, G6154654344, G638836682, G6410514744, G6467669079, G6563880843, G6652958823, G6853683552, G70659677, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Renewal 2023-2027, G7354628648, G742574937, Development of aluminum stabilized HTS coils for next-generation magnets with high radiation resistance and high magnetic field, G759921648, G760885343, G7777599808, G7977574923, G8064758849, G8152425740, G8221419671, G8234262341, G8431297775, G8437677540, G8618556185, G969889393
OpenAlex ID: W4411349459