Application Field

Nuclear fusion research is a major international program initiated by the global scientific community to solve the future energy problems of mankind. Unlike non-renewable energy and conventional clean energy, fusion energy theoretically offers unlimited resources, does not pollute the environment, and does not produce any highly radioactive nuclear waste. It will become one of the dominant forms of energy in the future, and is also an important way to finally solve the energy and environmental problems of human society and promote sustainable development. The ITER project represents an indispensable step towards the commercialization of fusion energy. Its goal is to verify the scientific and technical feasibility of the peaceful use of fusion energy.

In the fusion reactor device, plasma reacts inside the tokamak magnetic confinement coil, and the core temperature reaches hundreds of millions of degrees. One of the key issues restricting the research and development of nuclear fusion reactors is the material of the first wall structure facing the high temperature plasma, that is, plasma facing materials (PFM). PFM refers to the armor material directly facing the first wall, divertor and limiter of the plasma inside the magnetically-constrained controllable thermonuclear fusion reactor. PFM has the following main functions: controlling impurities entering the plasma; removing heat power radiated to the material surface; protecting other components from being damaged by plasma bombardment during abnormal shutdown. At the same time, PFM should be consistent with the operating life, reliability and maintenance of the reactor. Overall requirements for PFM therefore include high temperature resistance, low sputtering, low hydrogen (tritium) retention and compatibility with structural materials.

Tungsten's good compatibility with plasmas as part of the nuclear fusion process has been proven. Moreover, tungsten features a high melting point, high thermal conductivity, low sputtering yield and high sputtering threshold, low vapor pressure and low tritium retention performance, making it the most promising class of plasma-oriented materials for nuclear fusion reactors.

Tungsten has become a widely used base metal in the modern manufacturing industry due to its special properties and excellent performances, including good hardness and high melting point. As the "teeth of the industry", the improvement of China's manufacturing industry's overall metal processing capabilities relies on the tungsten industry. Its material properties also make tungsten an irreplaceable strategic resource for the military industry. ATTL's tungsten is widely used in nuclear fusion (ITER, EAST, WEST) devices. The successfully upgraded EAST divertor provides a strong guarantee for long-pulse and high-confinement operation of plasma. Reliable first wall and divertor components require tungsten to provide the required properties for alleviating or eliminating the issues of neutron radiation embrittlement, high heat flow radiation cracking, plasma radiation blistering and villiation of the tungsten materials. Improving the toughness of tungsten materials can prevent it becoming brittle due to radiation, recrystallization or low temperatures, thus improving performance under neutron/heat flow/particle irradiation. It therefore occupies an extremely important position in the development of new tungsten materials. ATTL has carried out systematic research on dispersion strengthened tungsten systems based on years of experience in the R&D and production of tungsten. The company will strive to improve the performance of tungsten materials over the next 5 years, in order to optimize large-scale production. We will also create an advanced tungsten-based material brand for China, actively carry out fusion service performance testing on advanced tungsten materials to lay the foundation for the application of tungsten fusion reactors, and promote the development of nuclear fusion energy applications in China and around the world.