| Scope |
Structural materials in nuclear fission and fusion reactors and high-energy beamlines like spallation neutron sources are subjected to neutron irradiation, which induces a wide range of microstructural changes, from knock-on damage to transmutation reactions. While knock-on damage is well known to produce nanoscale defects such as dislocation loops, cavities, and radiation-induced precipitation/segregation, less is known about the effects of transmutation-induced products, including transmutation gases. The impact of transmutation gas is particularly felt in fusion and spallation applications, where the higher-energy neutrons lead to a high transmutation product generation rate. Understanding these effects is fundamental to delivering materials and components for fusion energy concepts. Examples include reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels or oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels for the first-wall/blanket, tungsten alloys for plasma facing materials, copper alloys for high-heat flux components or radio-frequency launchers, and lithium-based oxides for solid breeders for fusion energy applications, and target materials, proton beam windows, and beam dumps in high energy beamlines and spallation neutron source applications, to name a few.
This symposium is bringing together experts and researchers who are conducting state-of-the-art investigations and developing technologies to understand and simulate the effect of transmutation products for future validation with 14 MeV neutrons using fission neutrons, spallation neutron sources, and accelerator-based energetic ions. Investigations involving neutron irradiation, innovative techniques experimentally simulating transmutation effects, and novel facilities and techniques to study transmutation-related damage situations, especially under the application of thermo-mechanical stresses, are strongly encouraged. This symposium also calls for modeling studies related to transmutation product radiation damage and evolution, as well as inventory build-up calculations. Contributions exploring transmutation effects specifically in nuclear fuels should be submitted to the "Advances in Understanding Nuclear Fuel Behavior and Performance for Extreme Environments" symposium, and contributions related to joints or welds should be directed to the "Special Topics in Nuclear" symposium.
The topics of interest include the following key aspects, but not limited to:
• Effects of helium, hydrogen, and other gas buildup in fusion, fission, and spallation structural materials
• Thermo-mechanical properties testing, transmutation gas diffusivity and permeability testing, and advanced microstructural characterization
• Materials of interest include first-wall/blanket structural materials (FM steels/FeCr alloys, ODS steels, W alloys, Cu alloys), solid breeder materials, and structural materials in spallation neutron sources and fission reactors(stainless steel, Ni alloys, Al alloys, and W targets)
• Transmutation and irradiation damage in tungsten, with specific attention to the effect of Re and Os generation
• Synergistic transmutation and radiation damage in structural and functional materials
• Effect of applied stress and thermal gradients on transmutation product migration and clustering
• Modeling of point-defects and transmutation product interactions, and impact on microstructure
• Interaction of transmutation products with microstructural sinks and extended defects
• Evaluation of irradiation spectrum transmutation effects on material behavior in fission, fusion, and spallation neutron environments: novel experiments using existing facilities, inventory build-up calculations.
• Industry experience in transmutation product/ inert gas buildup and impacts on long-term operation/regulatory approval of advanced reactor systems. |