Laser Cladding Modeling and Operation Applied to Plasma Facing Components

PFC materials must withstand a very harsh environment. The most cost effective means of meeting these requirements is by selectively depositing specialized materials, particularly refractory metals or carbon fiber composites, to regions where the harshest conditions occur. These materials are typically bonded to another refractory or other heat sink material. Examples include W on Cu substrates, CFCs to Cu and W or Mo to CuCrZr heat sink material. The joining of these materials is critical to performance; thermal conductivity must be high and relatively homogeneous to minimize thermal stresses. This project will focus on the development of PFC suitable materials constructed using a blown powder laser direct deposition method. This method allows tailoring of specific material properties as well as interface chemistry. A current, very advanced self consistent model of this process will be extended to include refractory materials and will be used to explore a range of possible materials and deposition parameters. Output from this model includes critical material properties necessary for successful PFC operation. Once specific materials and process parameters are identified samples will be constructed for testing. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Efficient manufacturing of PFCs also positively impacts other applications where high heat resistance is needed on a material but the material itself cannot be manufactured entirely out of the commonly used plasma facing material for reasons such as weight, cost or complexity of manufacture. In these cases, reliable manufacturing practices for applying coatings to the part can lead to a number of improvements in markets such as aerospace and oil & amp; gas. Overall, it is well known in industry that the reliable manufacture of PFC/PFMs is a critical challenge to the development of successful fusion power facilities. Materials R & amp;D will play a major role in the successful deployment of fusion technology for the benefit of the public