Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Simulations of radiation damage accumulation in Fe-9Cr under pulsed irradiation conditions representative of inertial fusion energy

Journal Article · · Journal of Nuclear Materials
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  3. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)
  4. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  5. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Structural materials for laser-based inertial fusion energy (IFE) reactor concepts are expected to operate under pulsed irradiation conditions, with cycles consisting of microsecond-long neutron bursts followed by inter-pulse periods of up to one second in duration. During each laser shot, irradiation damage is introduced at dose rates that are up to six orders of magnitude higher than those in their magnetic fusion energy (MFE) counterparts. Under certain conditions, the inter-pulse periods may last an amount of time sufficient to anneal much of the damage introduced during each shot. This phenomenon is highly temperature dependent, with pulsed heating directly linked to the pulsed damage, large surface temperature spikes may also occur. As such, this intermittent mode of operation has the potential to lead to fundamental differences in how irradiation damage accumulates in structural reactor materials. However, damage to structural materials under IFE conditions has received comparatively much less attention than in MFE, as pulsed conditions add yet an extra dimension to the already extremely challenging problem of microstructural evolution under fusion neutron irradiation in structural materials. In this work we use the stochastic cluster dynamics (SCD) method to simulate the evolution with time of defect cluster concentrations under IFE conditions. We consider the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) reactor concept as the representative IFE design for our study, for which detailed spectral information is available, including gas transmutant production. We simulate several pulse frequencies and three different temperatures, and compare the results with continuous irradiation cases under identical average dose rates. The simulations are run in Fe-9Cr system as a model alloy for reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels, which are the leading structural material candidates for first-wall structures in MFE and IFE devices. We find that, in practically all scenarios, pulsed irradiation restricts the formation of helium-vacancy clusters relative to the levels seen under equivalent steady irradiation conditions. As well, although self-interstitial atom clusters do accumulate under pulsed operation, their number densities remain up to an order of magnitude lower than in continuous irradiation conditions. Based on the SCD results, we provide a temperature-pulse rate map to identify regions where pulsed irradiation may lead to larger defect accumulation than under continuous irradiation.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; SC0018332; SC0018410; SC0023096; SC0023180; SC0023293
OSTI ID:
2438771
Journal Information:
Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Vol. 601; ISSN 0022-3115
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (74)

Spallation neutron sources: Basics, state of the art, and options for future development journal December 1989
Neutron irradiation facilities at the intense pulsed neutron source journal July 1982
Production and behavior of point defects in pulsed inertial confinement fusion reactors journal January 1981
The interaction of helium and displacement damage in inertial confinement fusion reactors journal January 1981
Void growth in a pulsed irradiation environment journal July 1983
Effects of pulsed dual-ion irradiation on phase transformations and microstructure in Ti-modified austenitic alloy journal July 1983
Effects of pulsed and/or dual ion irradiation on microstructural evolution in a ti and si modified austenitic alloy journal May 1984
Pulsed flux effects on radiation damage journal May 1984
Helium in fusion materials: High temperature embrittlement journal August 1985
On the steady state in radiation damage modelling journal September 1994
Pulsed spallation neutron sources for slow neutron scattering journal August 1977
Resonant creep enhancement in austenitic stainless steels due to pulsed irradiation at low doses journal March 1995
Comparative study of damage accumulation in iron under magnetic and inertial fusion conditions journal December 2000
Compositional and temperature dependence of void swelling in model Fe–Cr base alloys irradiated in the EBR-II fast reactor journal December 2000
Multiscale modeling study of pulsed damage accumulation in α-Fe under inertial fusion conditions journal December 2002
Conditions for effects of radiation pulsing journal December 2002
Ion debris and X-ray energy deposition and response of fusion reactor first walls journal November 1986
Comparative study of radiation damage accumulation in Cu and Fe journal January 2000
Comparison of swelling and irradiation creep behavior of fcc-austenitic and bcc-ferritic/martensitic alloys at high neutron exposure journal January 2000
Operating temperature windows for fusion reactor structural materials journal November 2000
Results from systematic modeling of neutron damage in inertial fusion energy reactors journal January 2002
Materials Selection and Qualification Processes at a High-Power Spallation Neutron Source journal August 1999
Neutron irradiation effects in Fe and Fe-Cr at 300 °C journal June 2016
Temperature-dependent cavity swelling in dual-ion irradiated Fe and Fe-Cr ferritic alloys journal April 2021
Development of an interatomic potential for Fe-He by neural network journal August 2021
Fusion materials irradiations at MaRIE'S fission fusion facility journal October 2011
Fatigue cracking of a bare steel first wall in an inertial confinement fusion chamber journal June 2013
Fusion technology aspects of laser inertial fusion energy (LIFE) journal October 2014
Diffusivity of solute atoms, matrix atoms and interstitial atoms in Fe–Cr alloys: a molecular dynamics study journal August 2004
Displacement cascades in Fe–Cr: A molecular dynamics study journal February 2006
Swelling and microstructure of pure Fe and Fe–Cr alloys after neutron irradiation to ∼26dpa at 400°C journal September 2006
Interaction between helium and self-defects in α-iron from first principles journal August 2007
Microstructural analysis of an HT9 fuel assembly duct irradiated in FFTF to 155dpa at 443°C journal September 2009
Ion-irradiation-induced damage in Fe–Cr alloys characterized by nanoindentation journal October 2011
Stochastic cluster dynamics method for simulations of multispecies irradiation damage accumulation journal August 2011
Modeling fast neutron irradiation damage accumulation in tungsten journal October 2012
Effects of irradiation temperature and dose rate on the mechanical properties of self-ion implanted Fe and Fe–Cr alloys journal August 2013
Neutron-induced dpa, transmutations, gas production, and helium embrittlement of fusion materials journal November 2013
A comparison of interatomic potentials for modeling tungsten–hydrogen–helium plasma–surface interactions journal August 2015
Effect of irradiation mode on the microstructure of self-ion irradiated ferritic-martensitic alloys journal October 2015
The influence of ion beam rastering on the swelling of self-ion irradiated pure iron at 450 °C journal October 2015
Energy spectra of primary knock-on atoms under neutron irradiation journal December 2015
Transmission electron microscopy investigation of the microstructure of Fe–Cr alloys induced by neutron and ion irradiation at 300 °C journal June 2016
Differential dpa calculations with SPECTRA-PKA journal June 2018
Synergies between H, He and radiation damage in dual and triple ion irradiation of candidate fusion blanket materials journal July 2022
TENDL: Complete Nuclear Data Library for Innovative Nuclear Science and Technology journal January 2019
Status of SINQ, the only MW spallation neutron source—highlighting target development and industrial applications
  • Wagner, Werner; Dai, Yong; Glasbrenner, Heike
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 562, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2006.02.026
journal June 2006
A new tool to compare neutron and ion irradiation in materials
  • Luneville, L.; Simeone, D.; Gosset, D.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 250, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2006.04.084
journal September 2006
Application of radiochromic film for quality assurance in the heavy-ion beam scanning irradiation system at HIMAC journal July 2014
New ion beam materials laboratory for materials modification and irradiation effects research journal November 2014
The Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge: A powerful tool for materials research journal November 2006
Burning plasma achieved in inertial fusion journal January 2022
Energetics of hydrogen and helium-vacancy complexes in bulk and near surfaces of tungsten: First-principles study journal June 2018
Pulsed irradiation: Annealing and accumulation of defects journal January 1978
Exact solutions of models for continuous and pulsed irradiation and implications for stability and fluctuations journal January 1980
The effect of pulsed irradiation on microstructural evolution journal January 1987
The Intense Pulsed Neutron Source journal January 1990
Radiation-induced strengthening and absorption of dislocation loops in ferritic Fe–Cr alloys: the role of Cr segregation journal June 2013
Understanding hydrogen retention in damaged tungsten using experimentally-guided models of complex multispecies evolution journal July 2020
Irradiation damage concurrent challenges with RAFM and ODS steels for fusion reactor first-wall/blanket: a review journal July 2022
Ab initio study of helium in α − Fe : Dissolution, migration, and clustering with vacancies journal August 2005
Interatomic potentials for hydrogen in α –iron based on density functional theory journal May 2009
Neutron reactions in the hohlraum at the LLNL National Ignition Facility journal July 2012
Experimental achievement and signatures of ignition at the National Ignition Facility journal August 2022
The Science and Technologies for Fusion Energy With Lasers and Direct-Drive Targets journal April 2010
Chamber Design for the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) Engine journal July 2011
Comparative Assessment of Material Performance in DEMO Fusion Reactors journal August 2014
Thermal and Mechanical Design Aspects of the LIFE Engine journal August 2009
Fused Silica Final Optics for Inertial Fusion Energy: Radiation Studies and System-Level Analysis journal June 2003
The Suitability of the Materials Test Station for Fusion Materials Irradiations journal August 2012
A Critical Assessment of the Effects of Pulsed Irradiation on the Microstructure, Swelling, and Creep of Materials journal April 1982
Thermomechanical Response of ICF Wall Components to Pulsed Heat Flux journal July 1985
Neutronics and Activation Analysis for the National Ignition Facility Cryogenic Target Positioner journal March 1999
Void Swelling in Metals and Alloys Under Irradiation: An Assessment of the Theory journal August 1978