Trial fabrication of beryllides as advanced neutron multiplier

Nakamichi, Masaru; Yonehara, Kazuo; Wakai, Daisuke

Advanced neutron multipliers with lower swelling and higher stability at high temperature are desired in pebble bed blankets, which will give big impact on the DEMO design such as the blanket operating temperature. Development of beryllium intermetallic compounds (beryllides) as advanced neutron multiplier has been started. In this study, it reports on the preliminary results of beryllides synthetic using a plasma sintering method. The plasma sintering results in starting powder particle surface activation that enhances powder particle sinterability and reduces high temperature exposure. In this report, trial synthetic results of beryllides such as BeTi, BeV, BeW, BeZr and other beryllides will be also present.