Review of advances in development of vanadium alloys and MHD insulator coatings

Recent progress in the development of low activation vanadium alloys and MHD insulator coatings for a Li-self cooled blanket is reviewed. Research progress in vanadium alloys is highlighted by technology for fabricating creep tubes, comparison of thermal creep in vacuum and Li, understanding impurity transfer between vanadium alloys and Li and its impact on mechanical properties, behavior of hydrogen and hydrogen isotopes, low dose irradiation effects on weld joints, and exploration for advanced vanadium alloys. Major remaining issues for vanadium alloys are thermal and irradiation creep, helium effects on high-temperature mechanical properties and radiation effects on low-temperature fracture properties. Er2O3 showed good compatibility with Li, and is promising as a MHD insulator coating on vanadium alloys. Significant progress in coating technology for this material has been made. Recent efforts are focused on multi-layer and in-situ coatings. Tests under flowing lithium conditions with a temperature gradient are necessary for quantitative examination of coating performance.