Design concept for the IFMIF test assemblies

According to specific materials testing needs, the available irradiation volume of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) has been partitioned into a high-flux region that has an irradiation damage rate for Iron of greater than 20 displacements per atom (dpa) per full-power year (fpy), a medium-flux region with 1-20 dpa/fpy, a low-flux region with fluence levels between 0.1 and 1 dpa/fpy, and a very low-flux zone with an annual accumulation of less than 0.1 dpa. A set of test assemblies, which is located immediately downstream from the neutron producing Li-target, vertically supports (1) test modules used for long-term irradiation of specimens in the high- and medium-flux regions, and (2) an array of tubes used for inserting test capsules in the low- and very low-flux regions. Based on this arrangement and on small specimen test technologies, IFMIF is capable of providing sufficient volume and appropriate irradiation environments to meet the requirements defined by the user community. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.