Sara Ferry
Group Leader, Fusion Materials and Components @Plasma Science And Fusion Center At Mit
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WORK HISTORY
Group Leader, Fusion Materials and Components @Plasma Science And Fusion Center At Mit
Advancing molten salt tritium breeding blanket technology via the BABY and LIBRA experiments *Developing advanced materials for deployment in a fusion reactor, with a focus on advanced ceramic composite materials and high entropy alloys *Studying tritium behavior in structural materials and fluids*Corrosion and irradiation experiments in fusion-relevant materials and working fluids*Utilizing machine learning techniques to improve discovery of stable HEA compositions *Utilizing high-throughput, automated techniques for more rapid materials discovery *Exploring molten salt liquid first walls as a means of reducing damage & tritium retention *Analysis of proliferation breakout scenarios relevant to fusion technology *Tritium fuel cycle analysis and modeling *Modeling disruption forces in plasma-facing structures *Building collaborations that span universities, national labs, vendors, and private fusion companies, both domestic & international *Co-chairing U.S. roadmapping efforts in fusion fuel cycles, breeding blankets, and materials *Development of fusion materials testing facilities
EDUCATION
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master’s Degree, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Double B.S., Nuclear Science and Engineering, Physics; French minor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Nuclear Science and Engineering
SKILLS
ABOUT SARA FERRY
Trying to solve a lot of big engineering problems really quickly (by science standards) to get fusion on the grid. I\'m at MIT\'s Plasma Science and Fusion Center working on:~ Better tritium breeding blankets for fusion power plants that maximize tritium breeding ratio and minimize operating costs. Currently building LIBRA & aiming for a world-first demonstration of TBR~1 in FLiBe using fusion neutrons!~ Tritium and fusion fuel cycle modeling ~ Disruption-tolerant, low-activation vacuum vessels for fusion power plants (LSVV project). We\'re working on SiC/SiC development and optimization (experimental) and modeling of MHD forces, disruption forces, and synchrotron radiation.~ Rapid discovery of stable high-entropy alloys optimized for nuclear environments via machine learning (discover stable compositions), high-throughput synthesis of samples (make stable compositions), and non-destructive analysis (test stable compositions)~ Faster nuclear materials innovation by using transient grating spectroscopy (non-contact, non-destructive, fast, and cheap) for in situ and ex situ radiation damage analysis ~ Corrosion testing of candidate structural materials for fusion in liquid lead and molten salts~ Ion irradiation of structural materials as a substitute for neutron damage~ U.S. strategies for fusion pilot plant development (I serve on the exec committees for the fusion prototypic neutron source workshop, fusion fuel cycles workshop, and fusion blankets workshop, as well as the fusion materials coordinating committee)~ Achieving higher operating temperatures for Gen IV nuclear reactors by developing corrosion-and-radiation-resistant multi-metallic layered composites for fuel cladding & coolant piping - without sacrificing economics, or the ability to fabricate components at scale~ Pushing fusion power plant designs to higher operating temperatures via novel operational scenarios~ Proliferation risks associated with tritium breedingIn the past, I also worked on probabilistic prediction of stress corrosion cracking failure in used nuclear fuel containment, energy policy for deep decarbonization, and the verification of fissile material production rates in centrifuges.
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