Fusion Energy Advisory Committee (FEAC): Panel 6 report on the Neutron-Interactive Materials (NIM) Program

To be commercially accepted, fusion energy must be competitive with other energy sources, especially those producing electricity. Studies like ARIES suggest that direct economic advantages will be difficult to obtain, so one needs to look at the broad array of energy source characteristics. Although one cannot know the precise competitive market in the first half of the next century, safety and environmental performance will surely receive very close attention both now and in the future. Fission energy's economic prospects and public acceptance have been hampered by safety and environmental concerns, especially radioactive waste and the feared potential for catastrophic health impacts from worst-case accidents. Other energy sources may also suffer from safety and environmental problems - fossil fuels produce chemical pollutants, and solar energy entails high use of land and generation of some toxic materials. Even conservation is sometimes not without problems, such as increased indoor air pollution due to reduced ventilation. Successful development of fusion energy requires a materials R ampersand D effort of much larger magnitude and wider breadth than is currently in place. The Neutron Interactive Materials Program (NIM) Program, as defined by the DOE, only includes structural materials and ceramic insulators. However, neutron interactive material requirements include not only the structure, but also plasma-facing surfaces, divertor, coolant, breeder, neutron multiplier, magnets, insulators, and diagnostic component materials. The Panel addressed the broader range of neutron interactive materials, but with greater focus on structural materials