SBU selected to receive $2,500,000 in federal funding for technology to enable fusion power plants
Funding Part of DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Program to Enable Commercial Fusion Energy
Stony Brook University has been selected to receive $2,500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
The funding is part of the Creating Hardened And Durable fusion first Wall Incorporating Centralized Knowledge (CHADWICK) program. This program is focused on researching and developing new, advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to enhance the durability of the “first wall” in a fusion power plant (where energy is derived from a process called fusion). That first wall is the critical armor that surrounds the fusion reactor’s core plasma.
“The CHADWICK program represents an extraordinary opportunity for our Department and Stony Brook University to contribute to the future of sustainable energy by developing materials that can withstand the extreme conditions of fusion power,” said Dilip Gersappe, chair, Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering. “This pioneering work led by Professor Snead could lead to transformative advancements in the durability and efficiency of fusion power plants.”
Under this program Professor Lance Snead will work with Co-Principal Investigator Professor David Sprouster, also from the Materials Science and Engineering Department, and collaborators from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, the Massachusetts of Technology, and the Sandia National Laboratory.
Through the CHADWICK program, Stony Brook University will increase the ductility, thermal conductivity, and irradiation resistance of ceramic materials through second phase additives into low activation ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTC). In the past, ceramics materials have not been seriously considered for fusion power applications due to their brittle nature and rapid loss in thermal conductivity under irradiation. The successful development of more relevant ceramic materials for use as fusion first wall armor under excessive temperature and irradiation damage would represent a significant technological step forward.
For additional information about Stony Brook University and this project, please visit https://www.stonybrook.edu/
