Silvia Maria Deambrosis

Design optimization of RF lines in vacuum environment for the MITICA experiment

This contribution regards the Radio Frequency (RF) transmission line of the Megavolt ITER Injector and Concept Advancement (MITICA) experiment. The original design considered copper coaxial lines of 1″ 5/8, but thermal simulations under operating conditions showed maximum temperatures of the lines at regime not compatible with the prescription of the component manufacturer. Hence, an optimization of the design was necessary. Enhancing thermal radiation and increasing the conductor size were considered for design optimization: thermal analyses were carried out to calculate the temperature of MITICA RF lines during operation, as a function of the emissivity value and of other geometrical parameters. Five coating products to increase the conductor surface emissivity were tested, measuring the outgassing behavior of the selected products and the obtained emissivity values.

Thermal Shock and Oxidation Behavior of HiPIMS TiAlN Coatings Grown on Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb Intermetallic Alloy

A High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) method for depositing TiAlN environmental barrier coatings on the surface of Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy was developed in view of their exploitation in turbine engines. Three differently engineered TiAlN films were processed and their performance compared. Bare intermetallic alloy coupons and coated specimens were submitted to thermal cycling under oxidizing atmosphere up to 850 °C or 950 °C, at high heating and cooling rates. For this purpose, a burner rig able to simulate the operating conditions of the different stages of turbine engines was used. Microstructures of the samples were compared before and after each test using several techniques (microscopy, XRD, and XPS). Coating-intermetallic substrate adhesion and tribological properties were investigated too. All the TiAlN films provided a remarkable increase in oxidation resistance. Good adhesion properties were observed even after repeated thermal shocks. HiPIMS pretreatments of the substrate surfaces performed before the coating deposition significantly affected the oxidation rate, the oxide layer composition and the coating/substrate adhesion.

Effect of alumina coatings on corrosion protection of steels in molten lead

Lead alloys are attractive candidates as coolants for future generation nuclear reactors (fast reactors). Unfortunately, they easily corrode structural steels of reactors. To mitigate this phenomenon, surface protective coatings may be applied. In this study, T91 steel (Cr9Mo1) samples were coated with aluminum oxide coatings (Al-O) deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The alumina coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and tribological techniques. A corrosion test of coated steel samples was performed in stagnant lead at 550 °C for 1200 h and none of the samples revealed corrosion signs.