The HFR Petten as a test bed for fusion materials and components

The High Flux Reactor (HFR) Petten, owned by the Commission of the European Communities and operated by the Institute for Advanced Materials of the Joint Research Centre, is particularly suited for research on materials and components for future thermonuclear fusion reactors, such as NET/ITER and DEMO. This is well founded by the long standing experience in executing large irradiation projects within the European Fusion Technology Programme, and by the high availability of more than 250 operating days per year together with irradiation positions providing a wide range of nuclear characteristics. First-wall protection materials and structural materials can be irradiated in the temperature range of 60 to 1500 C up to an annual dose of 8 dpa. Besides static irradiation of tensile, compact tension, charpy etc. specimens, in-pile creep and crack growth investigations can be performed with either intermittent or continuous measurement in the load range of 100 to 300 MPa. Advanced irradiation facilities for the qualification of blanket breeder materials are in regular use. These facilities feature in-situ tritium release experiments and tests with simulated operating conditions of blanket concepts, as well as tests with integrated breeder, neutron multiplier, coolant structure material and purge gas chemistry. ((orig.))