Assessment of copper based materials for the Water-Cooled Divertor concept of the DEMO European Fusion reactor

High Heat Flux component fabrication for the DEMO European Fusion reactor requires the development of structural materials that exhibit high thermal conductivity, strength and radiation resistance. Depending on the cooling concept used (Water or Helium), several different materials are typical candidates for the divertor structural application, such as Tungsten alloys, Copper alloys, or Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steels. This paper focuses on the use of Copper materials for Water-Cooled Divertor concepts. In this work, several possible solutions based on alternative copper material development were investigated. Reinforcement routes based on alloying, dispersion strengthening and composite material were studied. Material production was performed by several conventional melting processes on a laboratory scale. The produced materials were then characterized and compared using metallography, mechanical and thermal properties.