Helium charging of metals by tritium decay

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Nucl. Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7186943

Remark, J F ^[1]; Johnson, Jr, A B; Farrar, H IV; Atteridge, D G

---

1. Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA

The results of a study on the use of the decay of tritium to helium as a method of charging metals with helium were presented. Tritium was dissolved into vanadium and niobium specimens at elevated temperatures, allowed to decay to helium at room temperature, and then removed from the given specimen by hot vacuum extraction. Post-high-temperature test /sup 3/He concentrations up to 500 appm were achieved and were found to agree within +-7 percent with tritium decay concentration calculations. Substantial ductility decreases were found in niobium specimens tested at 1020/sup 0/C and containing greater than 130 appm helium. The ductility losses appeared to correlate with the appearance of helium on the grain boundaries. A niobium specimen containing 170 appm helium and subjected to an 1800/sup 0/C anneal exhibited a substantial loss of load-carrying grain-boundary area due to grain-boundary helium bubble formation.

• OSTI ID: 7186943
• Journal Information: Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 29:3; ISSN NUTYB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104 -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700209* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Component Development & Materials Testing
ABSORPTION
ANNEALING
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BETA DECAY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BUBBLES
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DECAY
DEGASSING
DUCTILITY
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
HEAT TREATMENTS
HELIUM
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTERACTIONS
ISOTOPES
LEPTONIC DECAY
LIGHT NUCLEI
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METALS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NIOBIUM
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PARTICLE DECAY
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE GASES
REFRACTORY METALS
SOLUBILITY
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRITIUM
VANADIUM
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
WEAK INTERACTIONS
WEAK PARTICLE DECAY
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES