Abstract
Swelling associated with the formation and growth of cavities is among the most damaging of radiation-induced degradation modes for structural materials in advanced nuclear reactor concepts. Ion irradiation has emerged as the only practical option to rapidly assess swelling in candidate materials. For decades, researchers have tried to simulate the harsh environment in a nuclear reactor in the laboratory at an accelerated rate. Here we present the first case in which swelling in a candidate alloy irradiated ~ 2 years in a nuclear reactor was replicated using dual ion irradiation in ~ 1 day with precise control over damage rate, helium injection rate, and temperature and utilize physical models to predict the effects of radiation in reactors. The capability to predict and replicate the complex processes surrounding cavity nucleation and growth across many decades of radiation dose rate highlights the potential of accelerated radiation damage experiments. More importantly, it demonstrates the capability to predict the swelling evolution and the possibility to predict other features of the irradiated microstructure evolution that control material property degradation required to accelerate the development of new, radiation-tolerant materials.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2949 |
| Journal | Scientific Reports |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2021 |
Funding
This research is being performed using funding received from the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs under contract DE-NE0000639. The authors would also like to acknowledge NSF grant #DMR-9871177 for support of the JEOL 2010F TEM at the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization. The authors acknowledge the financial support of the University of Michigan College of Engineering and technical support from the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energ y.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).