J. van der Laan, NRG Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Petten, ZG (Netherlands)
Carbon and silicon carbide form the basic constituents of quite a family of high performance materials in nuclear applications.
Carbon is well respected in nuclear applications in its appearance as (industrial) graphite. Its introdutcion at the Chicago Pile was followed by extensive applications in gas cooled reactors, HTRs and fusion devices.
SiC has been studied extensively for bith fusion and fission applications, but already qualified for fuel coatings in various HTR projects.
Composite materials of C and SiC have been considered for many decades as reliable components in nuclear systems design, ranging from the aforementioned fuel coatings to fibre reinforced structures in fusion blankets and fast reactor fuel clads.
The EXTREMAT-Integrated Project is expected to provide another jump forward in the design of materials for extreme environments with high neutron loads. This project comprises various partners experienced in materials processing along with parties experienced in designing high performance nuclear compoments.
The presentation will present the environmental testing of materials using high flux materials irradiation facilities in conjunction with post-irradiation testing. Specific projects on fusion and fission will be highlighted.
