| Abstract Scope |
The design of next-generation nuclear reactors involves significantly more demanding operating conditions. Existing materials may not meet these requirements, and new materials must be validated under these advanced conditions. In parallel, many reactors in the current fleet are being considered for long-term operation beyond their original design life. Ensuring the continued structural integrity and safety of these systems requires additional irradiation data to evaluate how materials perform under extended exposure. Additionally, advanced manufacturing techniques, such as additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy, and field-assisted sintering, produce materials with novel microstructures that may respond differently to irradiation compared to conventionally processed materials. Before these advanced materials can be qualified for use in reactors, their behavior under irradiation must be thoroughly characterized. Among various irradiation methods, neutron irradiation is the way to replicate and study material behavior in nuclear environments. Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) recently launched a new neutron irradiation campaign, named SAM-3, to create highly impactful structural/cladding materials specimens for its Nuclear Fuels and Materials Library (NFML). This work presents a systematic approach to the prioritization of neutron irradiation of high-impact structural and cladding materials. The selected materials include new alloys and alloys produced through both conventional and advanced manufacturing routes, with the goal of benchmarking their in-reactor behavior. This presentation will discuss the material selection framework, the experimental design for irradiation, and the anticipated outcomes. The work supports ongoing efforts to accelerate the deployment of novel materials in advanced reactors by filling critical knowledge gaps in their irradiation performance. |