Low activation materials

Low or reduced activation materials are currently bring developed and evaluated as structural materials for fusion energy systems. The goal of developing low activation materials is to provide fusion energy systems with a competitive edge over fission energy systems where high level waste issues abound. The primary low activation materials being developed by the international fusion materials community are: (1) ferritic/martensitic steels, (2) vanadium alloys and (3) SiC/SiC composites. These three materials offer a range of temperature and coolant design options and would likely be the optimum choices even without a low activation criteria. However, there are a number of activation, safety acid disposal issues that must be solved to achieve an optimum blanket design. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.