Assembly and Delivery of Capsules for Irradiation of Absorber Material Specimens in the High Flux Isotope Reactor

This report provides a summary of the thermal analysis, test matrix, and assembly of two capsules containing absorber material specimens. Four different absorber materials are inserted in the same capsule: hafnium carbide, hafnium carbide with a molybdenum silicide additive, samarium hafnate, and europium hafnate. The two capsules are planned for irradiation in the flux trap of the High Flux Isotope Reactor at two different neutron fluence levels and with a target specimen temperature of 300°C. In addition, this report shows the pre-characterization performed on the absorber material specimens. The goal of this experiment is to investigate the neutron irradiation effects on the absorber materials and characterize irradiation-induced swelling.