Helium and Hydrogen Generation in Pure Metals Irradiated with High Energy Protons and Spallation Neutrons in LANSCE
- BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
High-power spallation neutron sources will require accurate estimates of cross sections for generation of helium and hydrogen in structural materials. At high proton energies, very high levels of gas atoms are generated in all constituents of typical iron-based and nickel-based structural alloys, with helium typically {approx}150 appm/dpa and hydrogen at levels {approx}3 to 5 times higher. Improved estimates of these cross sections have been derived from a series of irradiations conducted at relatively low temperatures (< 100 C) in the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) as part of a test program supporting the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Program. Pure metal dosimetry foils were irradiated in two different spectra ranging from {approx}800 MeV protons to a mixed distribution of both protons and spallation neutrons. Most of the gas production was due to spallation reactions with the proton beam, although gas and especially damage production from lower-energy spallation neutrons became m ore significant at the mixed proton/neutron location. The measured helium concentrations are similar to those derived in other proton environments, but larger by about a factor of two than those calculated using LAHET/MCNPX code system. Unlike helium, the measured hydrogen retention levels are affected by diffusional
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 15002931
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-35288
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Journal Issue: part 2 Vol. 307-311
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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