As ESA Technology Broker for the UK, we have been presented with a range of different technologies with the potential for space sector applications.
One such technology was presented by Element Six, part of the De Beers Group, a global leader in advanced materials solutions with experience in the development and manufacture of supermaterials based on diamond, cubic boron nitride and cemented carbides.
While Element Six have manufacturing facilities in the UK, US, Ireland, Germany and South Africa, their cemented carbide research laboratory is located on the site of a large carbide plant in Germany, where it operates in close cooperation with the Global Innovation Centre, an R&D centre for the Element Six Group, located in Harwell, UK. Meanwhile, Element Six GmbH in Burghaun, Gemany produces a wide range of cemented carbide parts for the mining, construction, machining, automotive industries.
Element Six are offering cemented tungsten carbide, which possesses exceptional neutron attenuation properties with the capacity to absorb gamma radiation. The cemented carbide articles are formed from novel WC/Fe-based cemented carbides for neutron shielding applications. Applying iron binder systems reduces the half-life dramatically in comparison to the conventional Cobalt or Nickel binder.
The novel class of WC/Fe-based cemented carbides enhanced with chromium and vanadium carbides as well as boron and tungsten borides are currently dedicated for use as in-vessel shielding materials in fusion power reactors. This material system is designed to replace conventional cobalt-based cemented carbides, which are unsuitable for fusion applications due to their high neutron activation, toxicity, and classification as a critical raw material by the European Union.
Element Six’s approach focuses on reducing the long-term activation of shielding components while maintaining high shielding performance and mechanical integrity under extreme fusion conditions.
You can find out more about this offering, here:
https://www.esa-technology-broker.co.uk/technologies/cemented-carbide-parts-for-shielding-in-space