Middlesbrough team achieves UK’s first industrial-scale production of fusion-grade steel

Article by Sam Baker

UKAEA

MORE than five tonnes of fusion-grade steel have been produced using an electric-powered furnace in Middlesbrough, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) announced last week.

It is the first time the metal has been produced to high enough strength to withstand the extreme temperatures and neutron radiation of nuclear fusion reactors at an industrial scale. Fusion-grade steel will be essential for building new nuclear power plants such as Hinkley Point C in Somerset and Sizewell C in Suffolk, both currently under construction.

The high-grade steel, 5.5 t of which was produced at the Materials Processing Institute in Middlesbrough, is able to withstand temperatures up to 650oC. It was produced by the NEURONE consortium, a collaboration between UK universities and UKAEA, in an electric arc furnace.

UKAEA estimates that producing fusion-grade steel in electric arc furnaces can reduce costs by a factor of 10. David Bowden, NEURONE programme lead and materials science and engineering group team leader at UKAEA, said the achievement “lays the foundation for cost-effective manufacturing of these types of fusion steel for future commercial fusion programmes”.  

He added: “Developing these types of steel could also benefit adjacent industries that require high-strength, high-temperature structural steels, such as nuclear fission or petrochemicals.” 

Major challenges

During nuclear fusion, neutrons and extreme heat radiate out from the reactor core, which can cause degradation to the external structure. Walls made from regular steel would have to be replaced frequently.

Finding suitable materials to build nuclear fusion plants has been one of the biggest hurdles to making fusion a viable way of generating grid-scale electricity.

The challenge is reflected by a 2024 survey from the Fusion Industry Association in which 14 out of the 38 private companies responding highlighted finding neutron resilient materials as a “major challenge” to achieving grid-scale power by 2030.

Article by Sam Baker

Staff reporter, The Chemical Engineer

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