Calculations of helium production in materials irradiated at spallation neutron sources
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
Experience with materials irradiated in fission reactor neutron environments has shown that radiation-produced helium can exacerbate the degradation of properties caused by radiation-produced defects and defect clusters. Whereas fission-reactor neutron energies extend up to {approximately}10 MeV, the neutrons and protons at spallation neutron sources reach up to 1,000 to 2,000 MeV, and He production is much greater. For example, calculations have shown for the innermost shell of the containment vessel of the spallation neutron source, under collaborative design by several national laboratories led by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, that full-power displacement and He production rates are {approximately}20 displacements per atom (dpa)/yr and 1,000 atomic parts per million (appm) He/yr, which corresponds to 50 appm He/dpa. By contrast, materials in fission reactor cores usually experience <1 appm He/dpa. In this paper, the authors summarize methods and results for the calculation of He production cross sections appropriate to the neutron and proton energies to which target and containment materials are exposed at spallation neutron sources. The principal calculational tool is LAHET or, more broadly, the LAHET code system (LCS).
- OSTI ID:
- 644296
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980606--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 78; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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