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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Norway’s Halden reactor takes first step toward decommissioning
The government of Norway has granted the transfer of the Halden research reactor from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) to the state agency Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND). The 25-MWt Halden boiling water reactor operated from 1958 to 2018 and was used in the research of nuclear fuel, reactor internals, plant procedures and monitoring, and human factors.
Younggil Jin, Hyun-Su Kim, Sun-Taek Lim, Jin-Young Lee, Nam-Kyun Kim, Jae-Min Song, Gon-Ho Kim
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 1 | July 2015 | Pages 113-119
Technical Paper | Open Magnetic Systems 2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-886
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effect of interface diffusion between tungsten and graphite on embrittlement has not been examined over the tungsten ductile-brittle transition temperature. To analyze interface embrittlement with tungsten carbide (WC) formation and hardness, a reactive diffusion barrier model was adapted to clarify the roles of leak rate, lag time, and impurity. Plasma-sprayed tungsten (PS-W) on graphite with molybdenum interlayer (diffusion barrier) was fabricated using plasma-spray. The carbon concentration and hardness were measured using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and micro-indentation after furnace experiments relevant to plasma-facing component upper limit temperature (1470 K). The lag time and the leak rate were determined by the model with different impurity amounts (10-30 at. %) and barrier thicknesses (1-40 μm). It is worth noting that the lag time determines embrittlement threshold time because it delays the onset of diffusion, and it is expanded with thicker barrier and impurity (0.07-21000 ms). The leak rate represents the embrittlement rate since it limits the diffusion flux, and it does not depend on impurity but on barrier thickness. Diffusion-induced interface embrittlement was measured and estimated based on WC fraction. The embrittlement can be spatially expanded with time, suggesting that interface embrittlement can be severe for KSTAR long-term operation.