Vanadium-base alloys for fusion first-wall/blanket applications

Abstract

Vanadium alloys have been identified as a leading candidate material for fusion first-wall/blanket applications. Certain vanadium alloys exhibit favorable safety and environmental characteristics, good fabricability, high temperature and heat load capability, good compatibility with liquid metal coolants and resistance to irradiation damage. The current focus is on vanadium alloys with (3–9 wt%) Cr and (3–10 wt%) Ti with a V–4Cr–4Ti alloy as the reference composition. Substantial progress has been made in the development of vanadium alloys for the fusion first wall/blanket applications including production and welding, characterization of baseline properties, corrosion/compatibility, and effects of irradiation on the properties. This paper presents an overview of the development of vanadium alloys for fusion applications and a summary of key issues requiring further research.