Grudzevich O.T.1, Pechenkin V.A.1, Kobetz U.A.1, Gurbich A.F.1, Bokhovko M.V.1, Shaginyan R.A.1, Margolin B.Z.2, Petrov S.N.2, Mikhailov M.S.2, Vasileva E.A.2
1 A.I. Leypunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia 2 National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute” – Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Academician I.V.Gorynin” Central Research Institute of Structural Materials “Prometey”, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
During last decade a number of accelerators for materials research is build or upgraded in countries evolving atomic energy for development of new, radiation-tolerant materials of Generation-4 reactors and for prolongation nuclear power reactors lifetime. In IPPE JSC a “Tandem-3M” accelerator is used for this purpouse with parameters (ion type, fluence, energy) satisfying the current demands for materials research.
Using nuclear microanalysis methods ion irradiation procedures are elaborated and applied to investigations of structural materials (SM) radiation resistance at high damage doses. These include heavy ion irradiation, helium preimplantation and also cyclic (subsequent) irradiation, when each cycle includes first irradiation with metal ions and then with He or H ions (double), or irradiation with metal ions, then with He ions and then with H ions (triple) in order to account for their accumulation in SM due to nuclear reactions during reactor irradiation.
Results on swelling are presented in austenitic stainless steels – structural materials of internals in WWER TOI. In the frames of new steel for WWER TOI internals development the new chemical composition 16Cr25Ni2MoTi has been chosen for further in-pile reactor tests. This composition is most resistant to swelling among others including 18Cr10NiTi usually employed. Effect of helium and hydrogen on swelling in SM was investigated in 18Cr10NiTi steel as an example. It is first shown that swelling of the steel is essentially higher under triple cyclic (Ni+He+H) ion irradiation than under double (Ni+He/H) ones, that is synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on swelling was revealed under their implantation similar to the accumulation during irradiation in fast reactors. For maximum approaching of ion irradiation to the reactor irradiation arrangement, including advanced fusion facilities, one should provide triple cyclic (subsequent) or better triple simultaneous irradiations with ions of metal, helium and hydrogen.
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