Fabrication of beryllide pebble as advanced neutron multiplier

• A new beryllide granulation process that combined process with a plasma sintering method for electrode fabrication and a rotating electrode method (REM) for granulation was suggested.
• The beryllide electrode fabrication process was investigated for mass production.
• As optimized beryllide electrode indicated higher ductility and was sintered at a lower temperature for a shorter time.
• It appears to be more able to not only withstand the thermal shock from arc-discharge during granulation but also produce beryllide pebbles on a large scale.
• These optimization results can reduce the time for electrode fabrication by 40%, they suggest the possibility of great reductions in time and cost for mass production of beryllide pebbles.

Fusion reactors require advanced neutron multipliers with great stability at high temperatures. Beryllium intermetallic compounds, called beryllides such as Be12Ti, are the most promising materials for use as advanced neutron multipliers. However, few studies have been conducted on the development of mass production methods for beryllide pebbles. A granulation process for beryllide needs to have both low cost and high efficiency. To fabricate beryllide pebbles, a new granulation process is established in this research by combining a plasma sintering method for beryllide synthesis and a rotating electrode method using a plasma-sintered electrode for granulation. The fabrication process of the beryllide electrode is investigated and optimized for mass production. The optimized beryllide electrode exhibits higher ductility and can be sintered at a lower temperature for a shorter time, indicating that it is more suitable not only for withstanding the thermal shock from arc-discharge during granulation but also for producing the beryllide pebbles on a large scale. Accordingly, because these optimization results can reduce the time required for electrode fabrication by 40%, they suggest the possibility of great reductions in time and cost for mass production of beryllide pebbles.