Perspectives on multiscale modelling and experiments to accelerate materials development for fusion

Mark Gilbert (1) , Kazuto Arakawa (2) , Z. Bergstrom (3) , M.J. Caturla (4) , Sergei Dudarev (1) , F. Gao (5) , Alexandra Goryaeva (6) , S.Y. Hu (7) , X. Hu (8) , R.J. Kurtz (8) , A. Litnovsky (9, 10) , J. Marian (11) , Mihai Cosmin Marinica (6) , E. Martinez (12) , E.A. Marquis (5) , Daniel R. Mason (1) , B.N. Nguyen (7) , Pär Olsson (13) , Y. Osetskiy (8) , D. Senor (7) , W. Setyawan (7) , M.P. Short (14) , T. Suzudo (15) , J.R. Trelewicz (16) , T. Tsuru (15) , G.S Was (5) , B.D. Wirth (3) , Li Yang (3) , Yanwen Zhang (17) , Steven J. Zinkle (3)

1 CCFE - Culham Centre for Fusion Energy
2 Shimane University
3 The University of Tennessee [Knoxville]
4 Universidad de Alicante
5 University of Michigan [Ann Arbor]
6 SRMP - Service de recherches de métallurgie physique
7 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
8 Materials Science and Technology Division [Oak Ridge]
9 Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH | Centre de recherche de Juliers
10 The National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) [Moscow, Russia]
11 UCLA - University of California [Los Angeles]
12 Clemson University
13 KTH - Royal Institute of Technology [Stockholm]
14 MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
15 JAEA - Japan Atomic Energy Agency [Ibaraki]
16 SBU - Stony Brook University [SUNY]
17 ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory [Oak Ridge]

Prediction of material performance in fusion reactor environments relies on computational modelling, and will continue to do so until the first generation of fusion power plants come on line and allow long-term behaviour to be observed. In the meantime, the modelling is supported by experiments that attempt to replicate some aspects of the eventual operational conditions. In 2019, a group of leading experts met under the umbrella of the IEA to discuss the current position and ongoing challenges in modelling of fusion materials and how advanced experimental characterisation is aiding model improvement. This review draws from the discussions held during that workshop. Topics covering modelling of irradiation-induced defect production and fundamental properties, gas behaviour, clustering and segregation, defect evolution and interactions are discussed, as well as new and novel multiscale simulation approaches, and the latest efforts to link modelling to experiments through advanced observation and characterisation techniques.

Keywords: multiscale modelling; fusion materials; radiation damage; hydrogen and helium; defect evolution; experimental characterisation

Domains: Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]

Mark Gilbert, Kazuto Arakawa, Z. Bergstrom, M.J. Caturla, Sergei Dudarev, et al.. Perspectives on multiscale modelling and experiments to accelerate materials development for fusion. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2021, 554, pp.153113. ⟨10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153113⟩. ⟨cea-03292446⟩