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Title: Method for analyzing passive silicon carbide thermometry with a continuous dilatometer to determine irradiation temperature

Journal Article · · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

Silicon carbide is used as a passive post-irradiation temperature monitor because the irradiation defects will anneal out above the irradiation temperature. The irradiation temperature is determined by measuring a property change after isochronal annealing, i.e., lattice spacing, dimensions, electrical resistivity, thermal diffusivity, or bulk density. However, such methods are time-consuming since the steps involved must be performed in a serial manner. This work presents the use of thermal expansion from continuous dilatometry to calculate the SiC irradiation temperature, which is an automated process requiring minimal setup time. Analysis software was written that performs the calculations to obtain the irradiation temperature and removes possible user-introduced error while standardizing the analysis. In addition, this method has been compared to an electrical resistivity and isochronal annealing investigation, and the results revealed agreement of the calculated temperatures. These results show that dilatometry is a reliable and less time-intensive process for determining irradiation temperature from passive SiC thermometry.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1236583
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1359672
Journal Information:
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 370, Issue C; ISSN 0168-583X
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 61 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (4)

Determination of dose and temperature in graphite irradiation experiments in the dounreay fast reactor journal April 1967
Temperature monitors for uninstrumented irradiation experiments journal June 1971
Effects of sintering aids on the length change of neutron irradiated SiC ceramics during annealing at high temperature journal June 1989
The development of silicon carbide as a routine irradiation temperature monitor, and its calibration in a thermal reactor journal September 1976

Cited By (2)

Raman spectroscopy of neutron irradiated silicon carbide: Correlation among Raman spectra, swelling, and irradiation temperature journal July 2018
Response of isotopically tailored titanium diboride to neutron irradiation journal September 2018