Thermal shock behavior of potassium doped and rhenium added tungsten alloys

High ductile-to-brittle transition temperature, recrystallization-induced embrittlement, and neutron-irradiation-induced embrittlement are potential drawbacks related to the mechanical properties of tungsten (W) for plasma facing materials of fusion reactor divertors. To improve the mechanical properties, resistance to recrystallization and neutron irradiation, W materials modified by potassium doping and alloying by rhenium have been developed. In this paper, thermal shock behaviors of these W materials under high heat flux tests were investigated, which simulated an edge localized mode of plasma occurring in fusion reactors as a transient event. The thermal shock tests were performed with an electron beam facility, JUDITH 1, and post-mortem analyses to evaluate the damage caused by the thermal shock tests were carried out.