Ion beam breakthrough cuts nuclear reactor testing time by 1,000x

Researchers led by the University of Michigan have developed a groundbreaking ion beam method, called Qualification under Ion irradiation of Core Components (QUICC), that can qualify nuclear reactor materials up to 1,000 times faster than traditional neutron irradiation in test reactors. This approach compresses what typically takes over a decade of neutron exposure into just days using laboratory particle accelerators. QUICC replicates the complex radiation damage experienced by reactor materials, including displacements per atom (dpa) and helium production, by bombarding samples with heavy ions and helium ions, while simulating reactor core conditions such as high temperature and pressurized water. For fusion reactor materials, a triple-beam setup adds hydrogen ions to mimic combined radiation damage and gas accumulation. The QUICC methodology has demonstrated that ion irradiation produces critical material changes comparable to those caused by neutron irradiation, but at a fraction of the time and cost. This advancement addresses the challenge of testing materials that must endure extreme radiation levels—up to 200 dpa—where conventional