The FUBR-1B irradiation experiment: Tritium release and physical stability of solid breeder materials
The FUBR-IB irradiation experiment in EBR-II has provided important information on the irradiation behavior of candidate lithium solid breeder materials in a high energy neutron spectrum. The solid breeder materials include Li{sub 2}O, LiAlO{sub 2}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, Li{sub 8}ZrO{sub 6} and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pellets and LiAlO{sub 2} spheres. The irradiation behavior of the materials was characterized for the temperature range from 400 to 900{degree}C. The amount of tritium/helium retained by the solid breeder materials, as well as swelling and physical stability, was determined for specimens removed after the first period of irradiation. LiAlO{sub 2}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, and Li{sub 8}ZrO{sub 6} exhibited excellent dimensional stability during irradiation while the dimensional stability of Li{sub 2}O was found to be dependent on the as-irradiated microstructure. Measurements of the amount of retained tritium characterize the ability of the solid breeder to release tritium. These results are compared to measurements of tritium retention made on similar closed capsule experiments and extend the data to burnups as high as 1.6 {times} 10{sup 21} at/cc. Water vapor, in the form of T{sub 2}O, was found to have a pronounced effect on the irradiation behavior of Li{sub 2}O and LiAlO{sub 2}. 6 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/ER
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5214506
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-16939; CONF-891204-13; ON: DE90004668; TRN: 90-001688
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 179-181; Conference: 4. international conference on fusion reactor materials, Kyoto (Japan), 4-8 Dec 1989
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
LITHIUM OXIDES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BREEDING BLANKETS
MICROSTRUCTURE
SWELLING
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TRITIUM
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LITHIUM COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
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