• Ion beams simulate decades of reactor damage 1,000x faster at 1/1000th the cost New ion beam method simulates decades of nuclear reactor damage in days, accelerating advanced fission and fusion material testing • Ion beams can now qualify nuclear reactor materials up to 1,000 times faster than conventional test reactors, according to researchers led by the University of Michigan • The method compresses what would normally take more than a decade of neutron irradiation into just days inside a laboratory accelerator • The approach, called Qualification under Ion irradiation of Core Components, or QUICC, is advancing through approval stages at ASTM International, the industry standards body • It will be presented at a special event hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute in March • Advanced fission and proposed fusion reactors are expected to expose core materials to radiation levels that existing test reactors struggle to replicate within practical timelines

Article Summaries:

  • Ion beams simulate decades of reactor damage 1,000x faster at 1/1000th the cost New ion beam method simulates decades of nuclear reactor damage in days, accelerating advanced fission and fusion material testing. Ion beams can now qualify nuclear reactor materials up to 1,000 times faster than conventional test reactors, according to researchers led by the University of Michigan. The method compresses what would normally take more than a decade of neutron irradiation into just days inside a laboratory accelerator. The approach, called Qualification under Ion irradiation of Core Components, or Q

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