Tritium release from neutron irradiated beryllium: Kinetics, long-time annealing and effect or crack formation
- Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, (Germany)
Since beryllium is considered as one of the best neutron multiplier materials in the blanket of the next generation fusion reactors, several studies have been started to evaluate its behaviour under irradiation during both operating and accidental conditions. Based on safety considerations, tritium produced in beryllium during neutron irradiation represents one important issue, therefore it is necessary to investigate tritium transport processes by using a comprehensive mathematical model and comparing its predictions with well characterized experimental tests. Because of the difficulties in extrapolating the short-time tritium release tests to a longer time scale, also long-time annealing experiments with beryllium samples from the SIBELIUS irradiation. have been carried out at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. Samples were annealed up to 12 months at temperatures up to 650{degrees}C. The inventory after annealing was determined by heating the samples up to 1050{degrees}C with a He+0.1 vo1% H{sub 2} purge gas. Furthermore, in order to investigate the likely effects of cracks formation eventually causing a faster tritium release from beryllium, the behaviour of samples irradiated at low temperature (40-50{degrees}C) but up to very high fast neutron fluences (0.8-3.9{center_dot}10{sup 22} cm{sup -2}, E{sub n}{ge}1 MeV) in the BR2 reactor has been investigated. Tritium was released by heating the beryllium samples up to 1050{degrees}C and purging them with He+0.1 vo1% H{sub 2}. Tritium release from high-irradiated beryllium samples showed a much faster kinetics than from the low-irradiated ones, probably because of crack formation caused by thermal stresses in the brittle material and/or by helium bubbles migration. The obtained experimental data have been compared with predictions of the code ANFIBE with the goal to better understand the physical mechanisms governing tritium behaviour in beryllium and to assess the prediction capabilities of the code.
- Research Organization:
- Lockheed Idaho Technologies Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 212919
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9509218-; ON: DE96002404; TRN: 96:010068
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. International Energy Agency (IEA) workshop on beryllium technology for fusion, Jackson, WY (United States), 6-8 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings: 2nd IEA international workshop on beryllium technology for fusion; Longhurst, G.R.; PB: 399 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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