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Title: Phase-field simulations of gas density within bubbles under irradiation

Journal Article · · Computational Materials Science

Phase-field simulations are used to study the evolution of gas density within irradiation-induced bubbles. In our simulations, the dpa rate, gas production rate, and defect diffusivities are systematically varied to understand their effect on bubble nucleation rates, bubble densities, and the distribution of gas concentration within bubbles and in the solid regions. We find that gas densities within bubbles fluctuate drastically in the early nucleation stages, when growth rates are highest, but converge to steady-state values during the later coarsening stages. The steady-state gas densities within bubbles correspond with the ratio of total accumulated vacancy content divided by the total accumulated gas content, in agreement with a thermodynamic analysis concerning free-energy minimization.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE - NE
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1016172
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-10-18771; TRN: US1102998
Journal Information:
Computational Materials Science, Vol. 50, Issue 7; ISSN 0927-0256
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English