Isotopic, Doped Diamond Materials as a Plasma-facing Material for Fusion Power

同位素掺杂金刚石材料作为聚变功率的面向等离子体材料

• 批准号: 2625206
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2625206
• 关键词: Isotopic; Doped; Diamond; Materials; Plasma

A number of challenges are faced by developers of fusion energy, one of these being the fusion reactor layout and the structural materials from which it is built. These reactor wall materials also carry out the important job of ensuring that the fusion plasma is safely confined. The inner most wall in the reactor is known as the Plasma-Facing Material (PFM) and has to be designed to withstand plasma strikes and also act as a heat sink for the intense radiation produced during fusion. Factors such as contamination. durability, thermal and electrical conductivity must be taken into consideration when selecting a PFM. Materials such as tungsten, beryllium and carbon-graphite materials have been used up until this point.This research project is aligned with the EPSRC's Energy Theme and aims to evaluate the use of isotopically pure, CVD diamond (single crystal and polycrystalline) and Graphene on diamond structures as a PFM. One of the challenges with existing PFM materials is their chemical stability and the risk of the materials eroded from the reactor wall adversely affecting the operation of the fusion reactor. Carbon-based wall materials have been used in the past but the loss of thermal conductivity under energetic plasma particle bombardment and absorption of the fuel gases has proven problematic. For synthetic diamond this has also been viewed as an issue that needs to be resolved even though its use is favourable due to it being a light element that has less influence on fusion plasma operation. This project will explore new approaches for improving the resilience of diamond to the fusion plasma environment and its operation as a PFM. This will include the infusion of diamond with high loadings of hydrogen isotopes to limit tritium absorption, incorporation of high concentrations of boron and the use of graphene to localise/limit tritium fuel gas retention. High quality, thermally and electrically conductive diamond structures will be synthesised by chemical vapour deposition in the Bristol Diamond Laboratory, and their physical and electrical properties will be characterised using material analysis facilities at Bristol(NanoESCA, SIMS,XRT,HSAFM) and the Materials Research Facility(MRF) at Culham. Candidate diamond PFM structures will be evaluated experimentally by neutron and H,D,T irradiations to simulate PFM operation using facilities at Culham in the interim H3AT facilities, and the Divertor Science Facility. To support experimental work, model calculations using LAMMPS and MCNP will be conducted in collaboration with UKAEA personnel. It is anticipated that the student will be seconded to UKAEA for at least 8 weeks each year to participate in experimental campaigns and UKAEA-sponsored PhD training activities.

聚变能源开发商面临着许多挑战，其中之一是聚变反应堆的布局和建造它的结构材料。这些反应堆壁材料还发挥着确保聚变等离子体安全限制的重要作用。反应堆的最内壁被称为面向等离子体的材料（PFM），其设计必须能够承受等离子体撞击，并充当聚变过程中产生的强烈辐射的散热器。污染等因素。选择 PFM 时必须考虑耐用性、导热性和导电性。到目前为止，已经使用了钨、铍和碳石墨材料等材料。该研究项目与 EPSRC 的能源主题一致，旨在评估同位素纯 CVD 金刚石（单晶和多晶）和石墨烯在金刚石结构作为 PFM。现有 PFM 材料面临的挑战之一是其化学稳定性以及材料从反应堆壁侵蚀对聚变反应堆运行产生不利影响的风险。过去曾使用碳基壁材料，但在高能等离子体粒子轰击和燃料气体吸收下导热性的损失已被证明是有问题的。对于合成金刚石来说，这也被视为一个需要解决的问题，尽管它的使用是有利的，因为它是一种对聚变等离子体操作影响较小的轻元素。该项目将探索提高金刚石对聚变等离子体环境的适应能力及其作为 PFM 运行的新方法。这将包括注入具有高氢同位素负载的金刚石以限制氚的吸收、掺入高浓度的硼以及使用石墨烯来局部化/限制氚燃料气体的保留。将在布里斯托尔钻石实验室通过化学气相沉积合成高质量、导热和导电的金刚石结构，并将使用布里斯托尔钻石实验室的材料分析设施（NanoESCA、SIMS、XRT、HSAFM）和材料研究中心来表征其物理和电性能卡勒姆 (Culham) 的设施 (MRF)。候选金刚石 PFM 结构将通过中子和 H、D、T 辐照进行实验评估，以使用卡勒姆临时 H3AT 设施和偏滤器科学设施的设施模拟 PFM 操作。为了支持实验工作，将与 UKAEA 人员合作使用 LAMMPS 和 MCNP 进行模型计算。预计该学生每年将被借调到 UKAEA 至少 8 周，参加实验活动和 UKAEA 资助的博士培训活动。