TY - JOUR
T1 - Accelerated Irradiation Testing and Post-Irradiation Characterization
T2 - U.S.-Based Capabilities for Advanced Nuclear Systems and Radioisotope Production
AU - Bhowmik, Palash K.
AU - Xing, Changhu
AU - Skifton, Richard
AU - Sabharwall, Piyush
AU - Heidrich, Brenden
AU - Hogle, Susan
AU - Roach, Allen
AU - Zillmer, Andrew
AU - Howard, Richard H.
AU - Nielsen, Joseph W.
AU - Kelly, Bryce D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© This work was authored as part of the Contributor’s official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Irradiation experiments and post-irradiation examinations, together referred to as irradiation testing (IRT), are prerequisites for nuclear fuel and material qualification for the deployment of new and advanced reactors, as well as radioisotope production, thereby ensuring regulatory compliance. Qualified research and test reactors (RTRs) and testing facilities are essential to enable IRT to verify performance and safety under prototypical reactor conditions. In the past, qualification of new fuels or structural materials required about 20 years. Synergist strategies, advanced tools, and qualified methods are needed to greatly reduce this timeframe of IRT and radioisotope production. This study, termed accelerated-IRT, focuses on identifying gaps and leveraging U.S.-based RTRs and material testing capabilities, leveraging the preliminary evaluation and qualification of selected RTRs to provide a generic as well as specific-case solution paths forward, ensuring adherence to stringent regulatory standards. IRT and radioisotope production utilizing qualified RTRs necessarily includes modeling and simulation to support the design (i.e. neutronics, thermal, and structural aspects) and manufacturing of irradiation test specimens, vehicles, capsules, apparatuses, and flow loops. In addition, IRT can be improved by applying advanced manufacturing techniques and in-pile sensors and instrumentation, as discussed in this study.
AB - Irradiation experiments and post-irradiation examinations, together referred to as irradiation testing (IRT), are prerequisites for nuclear fuel and material qualification for the deployment of new and advanced reactors, as well as radioisotope production, thereby ensuring regulatory compliance. Qualified research and test reactors (RTRs) and testing facilities are essential to enable IRT to verify performance and safety under prototypical reactor conditions. In the past, qualification of new fuels or structural materials required about 20 years. Synergist strategies, advanced tools, and qualified methods are needed to greatly reduce this timeframe of IRT and radioisotope production. This study, termed accelerated-IRT, focuses on identifying gaps and leveraging U.S.-based RTRs and material testing capabilities, leveraging the preliminary evaluation and qualification of selected RTRs to provide a generic as well as specific-case solution paths forward, ensuring adherence to stringent regulatory standards. IRT and radioisotope production utilizing qualified RTRs necessarily includes modeling and simulation to support the design (i.e. neutronics, thermal, and structural aspects) and manufacturing of irradiation test specimens, vehicles, capsules, apparatuses, and flow loops. In addition, IRT can be improved by applying advanced manufacturing techniques and in-pile sensors and instrumentation, as discussed in this study.
KW - Irradiation testing (IRT)
KW - fuel and material qualification
KW - post-irradiation examination (PIE)
KW - radioisotope production
KW - research and test reactor (RTR)
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020785816
U2 - 10.1080/00295639.2025.2550913
DO - 10.1080/00295639.2025.2550913
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:105020785816
SN - 0029-5639
JO - Nuclear Science and Engineering
JF - Nuclear Science and Engineering
ER -