PMI research group news

The harsh environment inside future fusion power plants demands wall materials that do not crack or melt under the intense conditions.

TU/e and DIFFER celebrated the commissioning of an Aconity Midi 3D printer during a festive kick-off meeting. With the printer, metal structures with a high melting point, such as tungsten can be printed.

Thanks to funding through the NWO Open Technology Programme the research project ‘Development of additively manufactured tungsten heat shields for nuclear fusion’ can start. This project will exploit the unique infrastructure that is developed between TU/e and DIFFER as part of the Liquid Metal Shield laboratory (LiMeS-lab).

The first experiment with Upgraded Pilot-PSI (UPP), DIFFER’s new facility, has been performed in September by master student Parwez Rasulyaar and the Plasma Material Interactions group. The machine will be the first to couple high flux plasma with an ion beam, bringing two of DIFFER’s expertises together in one machine. It is based on the fore-runner of Magnum-PSI, Pilot-PSI.

Extreme conditions exist in a fusion reactor and the reactor vessel wall must be able to withstand extreme heat. Many wall materials have been tested already and found to be inadequate. A wall made of liquid metals now seems to be the solution.