Development of Radiation Damage Resistant High Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Systems
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Materials
Abstract
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People |
ORCID iD |
| Ed Pickering (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
A.W. Carruthers
(2021)
Novel reduced-activation TiVCrFe based high entropy alloys
A.W. Carruthers
(2021)
Novel reduced-activation TiVCrFe based high entropy alloys
Barron P
(2020)
Towards V-based high-entropy alloys for nuclear fusion applications
in Scripta Materialia
Barron P
(2022)
Phase stability of V- based multi-principal element alloys
in Materials Science and Technology
Carruthers A
(2021)
An assessment of the high-entropy alloy system VCrMnFeAlx
in Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Carruthers A
(2023)
Using concentration gradients to examine the effects of Al, Ga and Sn additions on the low-activation VCrMnFe system
in Journal of Physics: Energy
Carruthers A
(2021)
Novel reduced-activation TiVCrFe based high entropy alloys
in Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Carruthers A
(2022)
Investigation of the Superlattice Phases Formed in Ta72ru28
in SSRN Electronic Journal
Carruthers AW
(2023)
Investigation of the Superlattice Phases Formed in Ta72Ru28.
in Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
Pickering E
(2021)
High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications
in Entropy
| Description | We have developed a promising set of novel alloys for nuclear fusion applications. These alloys are so-called 'high entropy' alloys, which are formed of mixtures of five or more different elements in near-equal ratios. In this work, we used low-activiation elements to form the alloys - these are elements that do not become radioactive for long periods when they are placed in a nuclear reactor (hence, the use of the alloys will not result in long-lived nuclear waste). |
| Exploitation Route | The newly-developed alloys will be further investigated by a PhD student, who will work on scaled-up versions of the compositions of interest (i.e., larger amounts that can be mechanically tested, etc). This student started on the Fusion CDT in September 2022. |
| Sectors | Energy |
| Description | The Processing and Bulk Properties of New Low-Activation High-Entropy Alloys |
| Amount | £5,400,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2744799 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 10/2026 |
| Title | An assessment of the high-entropy alloy system VCrMnFeAlx |
| Description | Data used in paper |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None that I am aware of to date. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/4633926 |
| Title | Investigation of the superlattice phases formed in Ta72Ru28 |
| Description | Data analysed in the above paper |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None that I am aware of as yet. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/6513574 |
| Title | Novel Reduced-Activation TiVCrFe Based High Entropy Alloys containing a High-Entropy Intermetallic |
| Description | Raw data pertaining to the paper made publicly available |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None that I am aware of, but it has been downloaded 190 times as of Feb 2023. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/3541654 |
| Title | Phase stability of V- based multi-principal element alloys |
| Description | The success of fusion power requires alloys with good mechanical properties and the ability to withstand extreme thermal and irradiation conditions without prohibitive levels of activation or structural degradation. Body-centred cubic multi-principal component alloys, V-Cr-Mn and Ti-V-Cr-Mn have shown promising high-temperature stability at 1200°C. For the alloys to be suitable for use in nuclear fusion reactors, they must be stable across a wide range of temperatures relevant to fusion applications. Here, we assess alloy microstructural stability in these systems following long-term heat treatments at various temperatures. Encouragingly, most of the alloys showed no significant change in microstructure across all temperatures. This contrasts with many other multi-principal component alloys, which develop complex microstructures after exposure to intermediate temperatures. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Phase_stability_of_V-_based_multi-principal_element_allo... |
| Title | Phase stability of V- based multi-principal element alloys |
| Description | The success of fusion power requires alloys with good mechanical properties and the ability to withstand extreme thermal and irradiation conditions without prohibitive levels of activation or structural degradation. Body-centred cubic multi-principal component alloys, V-Cr-Mn and Ti-V-Cr-Mn have shown promising high-temperature stability at 1200°C. For the alloys to be suitable for use in nuclear fusion reactors, they must be stable across a wide range of temperatures relevant to fusion applications. Here, we assess alloy microstructural stability in these systems following long-term heat treatments at various temperatures. Encouragingly, most of the alloys showed no significant change in microstructure across all temperatures. This contrasts with many other multi-principal component alloys, which develop complex microstructures after exposure to intermediate temperatures. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Phase_stability_of_V-_based_multi-principal_element_allo... |
| Title | The development of low-activation, multi-principal element alloys for nuclear fusion applications: Data |
| Description | Data and images for PhD thesis titled "The development of low-activation, multi-principal element alloys for nuclear fusion applications" |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None that I am aware of to date, although it has been downloaded 6 times as of Feb 2023. |
| URL | https://zenodo.org/record/4643803 |
| Description | Collaboration with Simon Middleburgh (and group) at Nuclear Futures Institute, Bangor University |
| Organisation | Bangor University |
| Department | Nuclear Futures Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Undertook a literature review of HEAs for advanced nuclear applications, with focus on proposed mechanisms of irradiation resistance in HEAs. Have produced and irradiated alloys that will be characterised to examine the effect of thermal conductivity on irradiation damage in HEAs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Bangor undertook a literature review examining the modelling of irradiation damage in HEAs. They have also developed models for predicting the effect of thermal conductivity on irradiation damage in HEAs, which will be compared to future experimental results obtained by Manchester. |
| Impact | Paper: High-Entropy Alloys for Advanced Nuclear Applications (https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/23/1/98). Not multi-disciplinary. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | High Entropy Materials workshop (Henry Royce Institute) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The Royce Institute Hub Building hosted the First UK Workshop on High-Entropy Materials on Friday 9th September 2022. The workshop aimed to (i) identify and establish a UK community on high-entropy materials, (ii) create an inclusive forum for sharing ideas, (iii) enable greater networking and formation of new partnerships, especially between industry and academia, and (iv) highlight areas of challenge and opportunity in the field. The day comprised a mixture of short 10-minute talks from academics and industry, complemented by 2-minute 'elevator pitches' from early-career researchers (PDRAs and PhDs). Those submitting abstracts for 10-minute talks were asked to focus on one of three areas: (i) challenges, (ii) opportunities, or (iii) new ideas and methods of interest to the whole community. In total, over 40 people attended in-person, with a further 40 participating via Zoom (the hybrid format was very successful). x14 different UK universities were represented, alongside participants from x5 companies and representatives from STFC and a Catapult. There were also a few international participants online (although the principal focus was the UK community). Presentations covered a range of topics, including: high-throughput manufacture and screening of alloys, opportunities associated with functional high-entropy nanomaterials, and the challenges presented by sustainability considerations. Discussions were both lively and fruitful (regularly having to be cut short owing to time), and highlighted a number of opportunities for concerted action, including: better standardisation of data reported for new high-entropy materials (to allow for better comparisons), and the need for improved thermodynamic data. Further focussed discussions are already being planned between academics and industry, in anticipation of applying for UKRI funding. Prizes for the best elevator pitches were sponsored by two industry partners - Qinetiq and Metalysis Ltd. The workshop was organised by Ed Pickering (Manchester, AMP RAL), Kathy Christofidou (Sheffield, AMP TPL) and Nick Jones (Cambridge), with assistance from the Royce Hub team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation for the Student and Early Career Council (SECC) of the UK Forum for Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This online presentation was part of FESI SECC's undergraduate engagement programme, which seeks to boost recognition of structural integrity as a career pathway in undergraduate students. This talk engaged around 30 students from multiple universities across the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.fesi.org.uk/early-careers/ |
| Description | Seminar at Warwick Manufacturing Group, uploaded to Youtube. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seminar talk on high-entropy alloys for nuclear applications, which was uploaded to Youtube on 21st November 2022. It has gained 2,241 views since then (as of 20th February 2023). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHk1g6aPlBc&t=11s&ab_channel=bhadeshia123 |