Beryllide pebble fabrication of Be-Zr compositions as advanced neutron multipliers

摘要

Fusion reactors require advanced neutron multipliers with high stability at high temperatures. Beryllium intermetallic compounds (beryllides) have a universally robust potential for high temperature use. Fabrication of beryllide pebbles of Be-Zr compositions was conducted from the viewpoint of pebble mass production. Prototypic pebbles were successfully fabricated using the plasma-sintered electrodes with high Be and Zr contents for enhanced of the thermal shock resistivity of the electrodes during granulation by a rotating electrode method. From the results of granulation examinations, it was revealed that granulation yields varied greatly depending on compositions of the plasma-sintered electrodes themselves. By utilizing plasma-sintered electrodes with high Be and Zr contents, Be13Zr pebbles had a high granulation yield of 84%. Moreover, the Be13Zr pebbles displayed better oxidation properties as compared to pure Be pebbles. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.