Understanding the oxidation of pure Tungsten in air and its impact on the lifecycle of a fusion power plant

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Li, R., Álvarez, G., Ipakchi, A., Cupertino-Malheiros, L., Gilbert, M. R., Martínez-Pañeda, E., Prestat, E.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Li, R.
Álvarez, G.
Ipakchi, A.
Cupertino-Malheiros, L.
Gilbert, M. R.
Martínez-Pañeda, E.
Prestat, E.
author_facet Li, R.
Álvarez, G.
Ipakchi, A.
Cupertino-Malheiros, L.
Gilbert, M. R.
Martínez-Pañeda, E.
Prestat, E.
contents The oxidation of pure W and the sublimation of W oxide have been investigated to assess their impact on the lifecycle of a fusion power plant. Pure W has been oxidised at temperatures between 400 and 1050C and for durations ranging between 1 and 70 h. The formation of voids and cracks has been observed at temperatures above 600C, leading to the formation of dust or oxide spalling, which could be problematic in maintenance and waste-handling scenarios of a fusion power plant. Preferential oxidation taking place at the edge of the specimen was characterised, and its impact is discussed in relation to component design. Characterisation using electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the oxide scale is formed of three main layers: the inner layer is 30-50 nm thick WO2 oxide, the middle layer is a 10-20 um of WO_2.72 and the outer layer is formed of WO2.9/WO3 phases - whose thickness varies according to the total thickness of the oxide scale. The observed microstructure is discussed in relation to the parabolic-to-linear kinetics and its potential impact on tritium permeation and detritiation efficiency.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_22031
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Understanding the oxidation of pure Tungsten in air and its impact on the lifecycle of a fusion power plant
Li, R.
Álvarez, G.
Ipakchi, A.
Cupertino-Malheiros, L.
Gilbert, M. R.
Martínez-Pañeda, E.
Prestat, E.
Applied Physics
Materials Science
Plasma Physics
The oxidation of pure W and the sublimation of W oxide have been investigated to assess their impact on the lifecycle of a fusion power plant. Pure W has been oxidised at temperatures between 400 and 1050C and for durations ranging between 1 and 70 h. The formation of voids and cracks has been observed at temperatures above 600C, leading to the formation of dust or oxide spalling, which could be problematic in maintenance and waste-handling scenarios of a fusion power plant. Preferential oxidation taking place at the edge of the specimen was characterised, and its impact is discussed in relation to component design. Characterisation using electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the oxide scale is formed of three main layers: the inner layer is 30-50 nm thick WO2 oxide, the middle layer is a 10-20 um of WO_2.72 and the outer layer is formed of WO2.9/WO3 phases - whose thickness varies according to the total thickness of the oxide scale. The observed microstructure is discussed in relation to the parabolic-to-linear kinetics and its potential impact on tritium permeation and detritiation efficiency.
title Understanding the oxidation of pure Tungsten in air and its impact on the lifecycle of a fusion power plant
topic Applied Physics
Materials Science
Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.22031