High thermal conductivity SiC/SiC composites for fusion applications

SiC/SiC composites are considered for fusion applications due to their neutron irradiation stability, low activation, and good mechanical properties at high temperatures. The projected magnetic fusion power plant first wall and the divertor will operate with surface heat flux ranges of 0.5 to 1 and 4 to 6 MW/m2, respectively. To maintain high thermal performance at operating temperatures the first wall and divertor coolant channels must have transverse thermal conductivity values of 5 to 10 and 20 to 30 W/mK, respectively. For these components exposed to a high energy neutron flux and temperatures perhaps exceeding 1000 degrees C, SiC/SiC composites potentially can meet these demanding requirements. The lack of high-purity SiC fiber and a low through-the-thickness (transverse) thermal conductivity are two key technical problems with currently available SiC/SiC. Such composites, for example produced from Nicalon trademark fiber with a chemical vapor infiltrated (CVI) matrix, typically exhibit a transverse conductivity value of less than 8 W/mK (unirradiated) and less than 3 W/mK after neutron irradiation at 800 degrees C. A new SiC/SiC composite fabrication process has been developed at MER Corp. This paper describes this process, and the thermal and mechanical properties which are observed in this new composite material