Recent advances and issues in development of silicon carbide composites for fusion applications

Nozawa, Takashi; Hinoki, Tatsuya*; Hasegawa, Akira*; Koyama, Akira*; Kato, Yutai*; Snead, L. L.*; Henager, C. H. Jr.*; Hegeman, J. B. J.*

A new class SiC/SiC composite have been developed for fusion. While the development efforts has resulted in a radiation-resistant SiC/SiC, development continues to improve on engineering properties of this composite. With the completion of the "proof-of-principal" phase, the R&D on SiC/SiC is now shifting to the more pragmatic phase of material data-basing. Critical application issues still remain, including (1) heavy irradiation effect with considerations of He/H synergistic effects and irradiation creep, (2) erosion-corrosion behavior, (3) nuclear transmutation other than He/H, and (4) joining. Understanding the irradiation effect on electrical conductivity is another important issue for the FCI application. Along with the review in material development, characterization, and irradiation effect studies, this paper provides an introductive work toward standardization of the test methodology.