Radiation damage calculations for compound materials

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:7231194

Greenwood, L R

The SPECOMP computer code has been developed to calculate neutron-induced displacement damage cross sections for compound materials, such as alloys, insulators, and ceramic tritium breeders for fusion reactors. These new calculations rely on recoil atom energy distributions previously computed with the DISCS computer code, the results of which are stored in our SPECTER computer code master libraries. All reaction channels were considered in the DISCS calculations and the neutron cross sections were taken from ENDF/B-V. Compound damage calculations with SPECOMP thus do not need to perform any recoil atom calculations and consequently need no access to ENDF or other neutron data bases. The calculations proceed by determining secondary displacements for each combination of recoil atom and matrix atom, using the Lindhard partition of the recoil energy to establish the damage energy. A separate average displacement threshold energy is assigned to each atom in the compound. Calculations have been completed for stainless steel, vanadium alloys, /sup 6/Li-compound tritium breeders, alumina, SiO/sub 2/,Cu/sub 3/Au, TaO, and NbTi superconducters. Cross sections are now being developed for other compounds; however, some research is needed to determine the proper threshold energies for many compounds. All of these energy-dependent cross sections have been added to the SPECTER computer code, thus permitting routine spectral-averaging of each dpa cross section for any specified neutron spectrum up to 20 MeV. Calculations can be readily performed for any combination of the 38 elements in SPECTER. The new compound dpa cross sections are compared to atom-weighted results using elemental dpa values. Large differences are noted in cases where there are substantial mass and damage threshold energy differences between the elements. However, the compound dpa effects are quite small for structural materials such as stainless steel. 11 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 7231194
• Report Number(s): CONF-880613-7; CONF-880613-; ON: DE88009933
• Resource Relation: Conference: 14. international symposium on effects of radiation on materials, Andover, MA, USA, 27 Jun 1988
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ALUMINIUM OXIDES
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CROSS SECTIONS
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LITHIUM OXIDES
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CHROMIUM ALLOYS
CHROMIUM STEELS
CHROMIUM-NICKEL STEELS
COMPUTER CODES
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
HEAT RESISTANT MATERIALS
HEAT RESISTING ALLOYS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MOLYBDENUM ALLOYS
NEUTRON FLUENCE
NICKEL ALLOYS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
STAINLESS STEELS
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TANTALUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
700209* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Component Development & Materials Testing