Session: CS-12-01 High Temperature Codes and Standards

Paper Number: 122776

122776 - Life Assessment of Welded Metals Using R5 and Rcc-Mrx Used in Fusion 

In the European DEMOnstration Fusion Power Plant (DEMO) fusion reactor, in-vessel components face significant thermomechanical loads. They can experience severe damage due to high thermal load cycles, coupled with severe electromagnetic loading and unprecedented levels of irradiation damage. Cooling fluids are used to extract the heat to reduce operating temperatures and for energy production. Other elements, like the shielding liner and reflector plate supports, may also experience severe creep-fatigue and irradiation damage.
To assess the high-temperature structural integrity of such components, procedures in R5 and RCC-MRx are used to assess creep-fatigue, whereby fatigue is assumed from pulsed reactor operation and creep from sustained load at high temperatures. This project aims to conduct a creep-fatigue assessment of a representative joint, tungsten-to-tungsten via copper brazing (W-Cu). However, due to a lack of data on such fusion-specific joints, two more conventional joints are studied: a 316L similar metal weld; and a 316L-to-10CrMo9-10 dissimilar metal weld
Methodologies used for creep-fatigue assessments within R5 and RCC-MRx are detailed and compared, then applied to each material using the appropriate materials data. The two procedures share similar underlying approaches however, some subtle differences may become important within an assessment. The creep-fatigue assessment route proposed by RCC-MRx was then applied to 316L samples welded to 316L and 316L welded to 10CrMo9-10 samples.

Presenting Author: Younes Belrhiti University of Bristol

Presenting Author Biography: The presenting author is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol and a UKAEA Fellow. He obtained his Ph.D. in Material Science from the University of Limoges, European Center of Ceramics in France in 2015. His academic background also includes a Master's degree in Refractory Materials from Montanuniversitat in Leoben, Austria, and an Engineering degree in Material Science from ENSCI-ENSIL in France.

He has accumulated extensive professional experience as a Post-doc Research Associate at CEA in France (in Grenoble and Paris) and at Imperial College London in the UK. He also worked as an engineer for Rutschi Company in Switzerland.

His research activities are focused on understanding material behaviour in relation to their microstructure and service life, as well as optimizing these materials and developing new materials capable of addressing critical challenges. He utilizes experimental characterization techniques, combined with analytical and numerical approaches, and specializes in materials applied under hostile environments and high temperatures, such as refractory ceramics, metals, and alloys.

Authors:

Younes Belrhiti University of Bristol
Cory Hamelin UK Atomic Energy Authority
David Knowles University of Bristol
Mahmoud Mostafavi University of Bristol