Development of CuCrZr alloy for applications in Neutral Beams

In the neutral Beam Injector (NBI) systems, Cu-Cr-Zr alloy having constituents in the range of 0.6-0.8 % in Cr, 0.07-0.15 % in Zr, forms the key constituent of the high heat flux components. Applications manifest in swirl tubes (rectangular, circular) and Heat Transfer Elements (more conventionally known as hypervapotrons). Development of process related parameters for such components requires a quantitative study of material behavior, under different conditions of processing required for arriving at the room temperature properties of ~400 MPa (US), ~300 MPa (YS) and elongation of ~15% for a precipitation hardened alloy. The properties show a significant improvement following an intermediate cold work of about 20 %. The paper shall present the results of the material development and discuss the process qualification carried out for the manufacturing specifications for Heat Transfer components for the Neutral Beam Injectors.