Thu, 21 December, 2023
Experts from TWI are creating a tungsten and tungsten carbide shield manufacturing demonstrator in support of the design and construction of a prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire, UK.
A team of specialists at TWI (Dr Raja Khan and Dr Alessandro Sergi) are currently working on a UKAEA-funded project along with Frazer-Nash Consultancy to support the development of pure tungsten (W) and tungsten carbide (WC) shielding components. This work was delivered under the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) Manufacturing Support Services Framework, established to support design and construction of the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire that will generate electricity for the National Grid. To this end, TWI is responsible for the manufacturing of representative demonstrators for the STEP prototype powerplant by joining W and WC blocks with a steel cooling channel (Figure 1, below).
Figure 1. Representative section of the STEP prototype powerplant with the demonstrator design (in CAD) alongside. This illustrates the orientation and relevance to the current prototype powerplant design
Due to the complex materials and geometries involved, TWI has considered hot isostatic pressing diffusion bonding (HIP DB) as a viable route to join the demonstrator segments. Intensive experimental activities, including HIP DB trials, were performed in order to down-select the correct interlayers for the materials to be joined and the joining process parameters. The project work then shifted its attention towards HIP canisters design and fabrication in order to manufacture large demonstrator parts.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch using the below contact details to discuss your requirement related to advanced joining through HIP DB.
For more information, please email: tpt@twi.co.uk
