Scientists from NITU MISIS together with specialists from NIIEFA JSC have created a new technology for the production of material for plasma-facing components in fusion reactors. These elements must withstand heavy loads associated with high temperature and the impact of hydrogen isotopes from the plasma. For this reason, their quality is always subject to stringent requirements.
A hybrid technique that combines additive manufacturing (3D printing) with classical methods has made it possible to make a bimetallic composite of tungsten and copper with characteristics that far exceed those of analogs used today.
"Research and development of new methods for manufacturing tungsten parts has high practical significance. The technology of selective laser melting (3D metal printing. - Ed.) is one of the most popular and used methods of additive manufacturing of metal products because of the possibility of synthesizing parts of complex shape with high resolution. Production of tungsten products using this method is a difficult task due to high melting temperature, formation of non-melting defects, microcracks and overheating of various units in the installations," said Stanislav Chernyshikhin, Head of the Laboratory of Catalysis and Hydrocarbon Processing at MISIS University.
A thermonuclear reactor is a facility in which energy is produced by self-sustained controlled thermonuclear fusion. It allows generating much more energy than the nuclear fission reaction, which is used in modern nuclear power.
Read more in an exclusive Izvestia piece:
Thermal study: materials for reactors will be printed on a 3D printer
