Cryogenic Irradiation of Superconductors

UKAEA’s principal mission is to lead the commercial development of fusion power and related technology and position the UK as a leader in sustainable nuclear energy. One project within UKAEA’s remit is the STEP programme which is looking to design a commercially viable, compact fusion reactor, collaborating with partners to build a UK prototype by 2040. The magnet system in STEP, which confines the plasma, will operate at cryogenic temperatures (<30K) and will be exposed to ionising radiation, primarily neutrons and gamma rays. There is a requirement to understand how the magnet materials will behave under these conditions. In order to characterise the behavior of these materials at these temperatures, UKAEA is exploring the feasibility of exposing samples to neutron radiation at cryogenic temperatures and maintaining the samples in a cold chain until analysis. The STEP programme is seeking to understand the potential avenues to acquire this data and seeks responses.