Thermal annealing of irradiated carbon fiber composites used as plasma facing materials

Carbon Fiber Composites are potential materials for high heat flux components because of their excellent thermal shock resistance. But neutron irradiation may cause significant decrease in the CFCs thermal conductivity especially at low irradiation temperature (Tirr < 600 deg.C). This study investigate the effect of the thermal annealing on the thermal conductivity recovery of A05 and MKC CFCs, irradiated in the temperature range 400-1000 deg. C and in the damage range 0.4-1.9 dpa.g. For A05 irradiated at 430 deg.C/0.85 dpa.g the thermal annealing at 2100 deg.C/1 hour allows the full recovery of the initial thermal conductivity for 25 deg. C and 400 deg. C. However the annealing is less effective with increasing of irradiation temperature. (author)