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Title: Radiation Damage Calculations for the FUBR and BEATRIX Irradiations of Lithium Compounds in EBR-II and FFTF

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7826· OSTI ID:7826

The Fusion Breeder Reactor (FUBR) and Breeder Exchange Matrix (BEATRIX) experiments were cooperative efforts by members of the International Energy Agency to investigate the irradiation behavior of solid breeder materials for tritium production to support future fusion reactors. Lithium ceramic materials including Li{sub 2}O, LiAlO{sub 2}, Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, and Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} with varying {sup 6}Li enrichments from 0 to 95% were irradiated in a series of experiments in the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR II) and in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) over a period of about 10 years from 1982 to 1992. These experiments were characterized in terms of the nominal fast neutron fluences and measured {sup 6}Li burnup factors, as determined by either mass spectrometry or helium measurements. Radiation damage in these compounds is caused by both the {sup 6}Li-burnup reaction and by all other possible neutron reactions with the atoms in the compound materials. In this report, displacements per atom (dpa) values have been calculated for each type of material in each of the various irradiations that were conducted. Values up to 11% {sup 6}Li-burnup and 130 dpa are predicted for the longest irradiations. The dpa cross sections were calculated for each compound using the SPECOMP computer code. Details of the dpa calculations are presented in the report. Total dpa factors were determined with the SPECTER computer code by averaging the dpa cross sections over the measured or calculated neutron flux spectra for each series of irradiations. Using these new calculations, previously measured radiation damage effects in these lithium compounds can be compared or correlated with other irradiation data on the basis of the dpa factor as well as {sup 6}Li-burnup.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
7826
Report Number(s):
PNNL-12200; AT-15-02-03-04; R&D Project: 13493; AT-15-02-03-04; TRN: US0101821
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 17 Jun 1999
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English