Structural characterization of nanoscale intermetallic precipitates in highly neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels
Abstract
Massive, thick-walled pressure vessels are permanent nuclear reactor structures that are exposed to a damaging flux of neutrons from the adjacent core. The neutrons cause embrittlement of the vessel steel that grows with dose (fluence), as manifested by an increasing ductile-to-brittle fracture transition temperature. Extending reactor life requires demonstrating that large safety margins against brittle fracture are maintained at the higher neutron fluence associated with beyond 60 years of service. Here synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction and small angle x-ray scattering measurements are used to characterize highly embrittling nm-scale Mn–Ni–Si precipitates that develop in the irradiated steels at high fluence. These precipitates lead to severe embrittlement that is not accounted for in current regulatory models. As a result, application of the complementary techniques has, for the very first time, successfully identified the crystal structures of the nanoprecipitates, while also yielding self-consistent compositions, volume fractions and size distributions.
- Authors:
-
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); BNL Program Development
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1237167
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1341516; OSTI ID: 1359850
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-108275-2015-JA; BNL-111938-2016-JA
Journal ID: ISSN 1359-6462; R&D Project: LS001
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC00112704; AC02-98CH10886; SC0012704
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Scripta Materialia
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 113; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1359-6462
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; reactor pressure vessels; precipitation; irradiation embrittlement; x-ray diffraction; small angle x-ray scattering
Citation Formats
Sprouster, D. J., Sinsheimer, J., Dooryhee, E., Ghose, S., Wells, P., Stan, T., Almirall, N., Odette, G. R., and Ecker, L. E. Structural characterization of nanoscale intermetallic precipitates in highly neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.scriptamat.2015.10.019.
Sprouster, D. J., Sinsheimer, J., Dooryhee, E., Ghose, S., Wells, P., Stan, T., Almirall, N., Odette, G. R., & Ecker, L. E. Structural characterization of nanoscale intermetallic precipitates in highly neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2015.10.019
Sprouster, D. J., Sinsheimer, J., Dooryhee, E., Ghose, S., Wells, P., Stan, T., Almirall, N., Odette, G. R., and Ecker, L. E. Wed .
"Structural characterization of nanoscale intermetallic precipitates in highly neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2015.10.019. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1237167.
@article{osti_1237167,
title = {Structural characterization of nanoscale intermetallic precipitates in highly neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels},
author = {Sprouster, D. J. and Sinsheimer, J. and Dooryhee, E. and Ghose, S. and Wells, P. and Stan, T. and Almirall, N. and Odette, G. R. and Ecker, L. E.},
abstractNote = {Massive, thick-walled pressure vessels are permanent nuclear reactor structures that are exposed to a damaging flux of neutrons from the adjacent core. The neutrons cause embrittlement of the vessel steel that grows with dose (fluence), as manifested by an increasing ductile-to-brittle fracture transition temperature. Extending reactor life requires demonstrating that large safety margins against brittle fracture are maintained at the higher neutron fluence associated with beyond 60 years of service. Here synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction and small angle x-ray scattering measurements are used to characterize highly embrittling nm-scale Mn–Ni–Si precipitates that develop in the irradiated steels at high fluence. These precipitates lead to severe embrittlement that is not accounted for in current regulatory models. As a result, application of the complementary techniques has, for the very first time, successfully identified the crystal structures of the nanoprecipitates, while also yielding self-consistent compositions, volume fractions and size distributions.},
doi = {10.1016/j.scriptamat.2015.10.019},
journal = {Scripta Materialia},
number = C,
volume = 113,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
On the Elevated Temperature Thermal Stability of Nanoscale Mn-Ni-Si Precipitates Formed at Lower Temperature in Highly Irradiated Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels
journal, July 2019
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