Thermal Conductivity of Composites of Beryllia and Lithium Titanate

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power for energy purposes. Wide varieties of solid breeders and multiplier materials have been proposed for fusion blankets. Beryllium and lithium titanate (Li₂TiO₃) have been accepted as neutron multiplier and breeder materials, respectively. However, swelling of beryllium due to helium and tritium permeation through metallic beryllium and low thermal conductivity of lithium titanate have caused serious limitations when ITER is in the demo version. It has been well established that BeO due its highest thermal conductivity among the known ceramics, low neutron absorption cross section, and high neutron reflection cross section is a good neutron multiplier. In the present investigation, a novel ceramic single compound of BeO-Li₂TiO₃ was synthesized, keeping the BeO content to Li₂TiO₃ in the volume ratio of 80:20, 75:25, 65:35, and 55:45 with the aim of maintaining the tritium breeding ratio as more than one, and characterized for phases present by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.