About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2024 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
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Advanced Characterization Techniques for Quantifying and Modeling Deformation
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Presentation Title |
A Study on the Irradiation Response of the Microstructure of Zr.25Nb Pressure Tubes in Load-following Nuclear Reactors |
Author(s) |
Thalles T A Lucas, Fei Long, Levente Balogh |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Thalles T A Lucas |
Abstract Scope |
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) signify a novel paradigm in nuclear design, offering a compact source of safe, reliable, and clean energy. A planned feature of SMRs is the capability to operate in load-following mode, modulating their energy output in accordance with grid requirements. However, power flexibility means variation in operating temperature, thus the structural components of the core are irradiated at changing temperatures. Holt et al. (1988) identified transient behavior in the irradiation growth strain of Zr2.5Nb pressure tubes induced by temperature variation, hypothesizing its causation to be Differential Anisotropy Diffusion (DAD) and the behavior of dislocation structures. Our research aims to elucidate this phenomenon further. We investigate the evolution of dislocation loops during both saturation and transient regimes of variable temperature irradiation. Using advanced Diffraction Line Profile Analysis (DLPA) we extract detailed data on loop size and density aiming to predict the operational behavior of load-following SMRs. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Characterization, |