The reporter learned from the Hefei Institute of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that the nuclear safety of the institute is China's anti-neutron irradiated steel (ie 'CLAM steel') as raw materials. The 3D printing technology is used to realize the key components of the fusion reactor, the first wall sample of the cladding. The trial production was carried out and its organization and performance were studied and analyzed. The relevant results were recently published in the Journal of Nuclear Physics of the International Journal of Nuclear Materials.
3D printing technology can achieve complex structure integration molding, has a short manufacturing cycle, high material utilization characteristics, is an important method for the manufacture of complex components. Researchers use CLAM steel as raw materials, through the 3D printing technology to develop fusion reactor cladding component trial production Investigate the feasibility of this technology in the manufacture of fusion nuclear reactors and other advanced nuclear energy system components to promote the rapid development and optimization of the performance of complex nuclear energy system components and promote their engineering applications.
After a lot of experiments, the researchers realized for the first time the 3D printing and forming of the first wall of the fusion reactor cladding neutron irradiation steel sample. The results show that the dimensional accuracy of the prototype meets the design requirements, and the density of the material reaches 99.7%. The strength of CLAM steel prepared by the traditional method is quite. At the same time, the study also found that the layer-by-layer melting and directional solidification characteristics of 3D printing lead to differences in the structure and properties of CLAM steel in different directions. This difference can be optimized through the scanning scheme and the molten pool in the future. Nucleation optimization and other methods can effectively reduce or even eliminate.
The above research shows that 3D printing technology has a good application prospect in the manufacture of complex nuclear power systems such as fusion reactors. At the same time, it reflects China's strong R&D capabilities in 3D printing advanced nuclear energy system components.
