Void Swelling and Microstructure of Austenitic Stainless Steels Irradiated in the BOR - 60 Reactor

Technical Report · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1224950· OSTI ID:1224950

Chen, Y. ^[1]; Yang, Yong ^[1]; Huang, Yina ^[1]; Allen, T. ^[1]; Alexandreanu, B. ^[1]; Natesan, K. ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

As nuclear power plants age and neutron fluence increases, detrimental effects resulting from radiation damage have become an increasingly important issue for the operational safety and structural integrity of core internal components. In this study, irradiated specimens of reactor core internal components were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The specimens had been irradiated to 5.5-45 dpa in the BOR-60 reactor at a dose rate close to 10^-6 dpa/s and temperature of about 320°C. No voids were observed in the austenitic stainless steels and nickel alloys at all doses. Despite the possibility that fine voids below the TEM resolution limit may be present, it was clear that void swelling was insignificant in all examined alloys up to 45 dpa. Irradiated microstructures of the studied alloys were dominated by a high density of Frank loops. The mean size and density of the Frank loops varied from one material to another, but saturated with increasing dose above ~10 dpa. While no irradiation-induced precipitations were present below 24.5 dpa, fine precipitates were evident in several alloys at 45 dpa.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1224950
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-7128; 118704; TRN: US1500838
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
ATOMIC DISPLACEMENTS
NICKEL ALLOYS
SCREW DISLOCATIONS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
PRECIPITATION
SWELLING
IRRADIATION
MICROSTRUCTURE
VOIDS
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
REACTOR CORES
RADIATION DOSES
NEUTRON FLUENCE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K