Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket
In a water-cooled ceramic breeding blanket for fusion reactors, hydrogen gas generation by steam oxidation of metallic Be compounds (i.e. neutron multiplier) in a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) raises major safety concerns. Li–Be hybrid ceramics has a potential to reduce hydrogen generation signifi...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Materials & Design |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525003843 |
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| author | Keisuke Mukai Taehyun Hwang Minoru Kusaba Jae-Hwan Kim |
| author_facet | Keisuke Mukai Taehyun Hwang Minoru Kusaba Jae-Hwan Kim |
| author_sort | Keisuke Mukai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In a water-cooled ceramic breeding blanket for fusion reactors, hydrogen gas generation by steam oxidation of metallic Be compounds (i.e. neutron multiplier) in a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) raises major safety concerns. Li–Be hybrid ceramics has a potential to reduce hydrogen generation significantly, however, the stable compositions and structures for quaternary compositions have not been comprehensively understood. Herein, we report machine-learning based prediction, synthesis, structure, and properties of chemically stabile two-phase Li–Be–X–O hybrid ceramics. The steam exposure tests demonstrated a negligibly small H2 generation from the two-phase powder of Li2BeSiO4 and 5 at.% BeO below 1200 °C. The stability is explained by the intrinsic ionic/covalent bonding characters and little capacity for further oxidation by steam. Neutronic calculations with simplified one-dimensional model show that the two-phase hybrid cermaics has a sufficient tritium breeding capability without having metallic Be-based multiplier in the blanket. The hybrid ceramics is the first example of multi-functional oxide to breed sufficient fuel tritium with no metallic neutron multiplier, which allows a novel design of ceramic breeding blanket with enhanced safety margins during in-box LOCA. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a0818f129c542c4bb100ae5290329a4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0264-1275 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials & Design |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a0818f129c542c4bb100ae5290329a42025-08-20T03:22:04ZengElsevierMaterials & Design0264-12752025-05-0125311396410.1016/j.matdes.2025.113964Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanketKeisuke Mukai0Taehyun Hwang1Minoru Kusaba2Jae-Hwan Kim3National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan; The Institute for Advanced Science, SOKENDAI, Toki 509-5292, Japan; Corresponding author at: National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan.Fusion Energy Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 2-166 Omotedate, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Aomori, 039-3212, JapanNational Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan; The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8562, JapanFusion Energy Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 2-166 Omotedate, Obuchi, Rokkasho, Aomori, 039-3212, JapanIn a water-cooled ceramic breeding blanket for fusion reactors, hydrogen gas generation by steam oxidation of metallic Be compounds (i.e. neutron multiplier) in a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) raises major safety concerns. Li–Be hybrid ceramics has a potential to reduce hydrogen generation significantly, however, the stable compositions and structures for quaternary compositions have not been comprehensively understood. Herein, we report machine-learning based prediction, synthesis, structure, and properties of chemically stabile two-phase Li–Be–X–O hybrid ceramics. The steam exposure tests demonstrated a negligibly small H2 generation from the two-phase powder of Li2BeSiO4 and 5 at.% BeO below 1200 °C. The stability is explained by the intrinsic ionic/covalent bonding characters and little capacity for further oxidation by steam. Neutronic calculations with simplified one-dimensional model show that the two-phase hybrid cermaics has a sufficient tritium breeding capability without having metallic Be-based multiplier in the blanket. The hybrid ceramics is the first example of multi-functional oxide to breed sufficient fuel tritium with no metallic neutron multiplier, which allows a novel design of ceramic breeding blanket with enhanced safety margins during in-box LOCA.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525003843Nuclear fusionCeramicsHydrogen generationMachine learningTritium breeding |
| spellingShingle | Keisuke Mukai Taehyun Hwang Minoru Kusaba Jae-Hwan Kim Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket Materials & Design Nuclear fusion Ceramics Hydrogen generation Machine learning Tritium breeding |
| title | Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket |
| title_full | Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket |
| title_fullStr | Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket |
| title_full_unstemmed | Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket |
| title_short | Accident-tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket |
| title_sort | accident tolerant hybrid ceramics for fusion breeding blanket |
| topic | Nuclear fusion Ceramics Hydrogen generation Machine learning Tritium breeding |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264127525003843 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT keisukemukai accidenttoleranthybridceramicsforfusionbreedingblanket AT taehyunhwang accidenttoleranthybridceramicsforfusionbreedingblanket AT minorukusaba accidenttoleranthybridceramicsforfusionbreedingblanket AT jaehwankim accidenttoleranthybridceramicsforfusionbreedingblanket |