NSUF 08-98: Advanced Non-Destructive Assessment Technology to Determine the Aging of Structural Materials for Generation IV Nuclear Reactor

The proposed work will apply state-of-the-art technologies of semiconductors, which undergo neutron transmutation doping NTD, to advance the technology of in-situ assessment of radiation damage of nuclear reactor core materials. With the next generation of nuclear reactors being designed with higher operating temperatures, there will be a requirement for the increased use of high temperature structural materials in the reactor core. There is a need for nondestructive assessment tools to assess irradiation damage in nuclear structural materials, especially for in-situ monitoring of the aging of the reactor core materials. These nondestructive evaluation NDE sensors for the in-situ assessment of the accumulated damage in structural reactor materials are a technical and commercial opportunity with the advent of the new nuclear energy initiatives. Many potential sensory materials are silicon-based, such as Sic a known high-temperature semiconductor material. Si3N4, and Sialons, and many other structural ceramics that have non-stoichiometric ionic structures excess oxygen or metal ions which, when damaged, will cause measurable changes in their electronic concentrations. The philosophy for use of these electronic property sensors to assess accumulated radiation damage in materials is similar to the use of pyrometric cones to assess the accumulated effects of the thermal experience for the firing of technical ceramics. These electronic property sensors will be placed in the nuclear reactor core area adjacent to materials which are being assessed for radiation damage. This assessment is achieved by the correlation of changes in electronic property data relative to known radiation damage history of specific materials.

Additional Info

Field	Value
Abstract	The proposed work will apply state-of-the-art technologies of semiconductors, which undergo neutron transmutation doping NTD, to advance the technology of in-situ assessment of radiation damage of nuclear reactor core materials. With the next generation of nuclear reactors being designed with higher operating temperatures, there will be a requirement for the increased use of high temperature structural materials in the reactor core. There is a need for nondestructive assessment tools to assess irradiation damage in nuclear structural materials, especially for in-situ monitoring of the aging of the reactor core materials. These nondestructive evaluation NDE sensors for the in-situ assessment of the accumulated damage in structural reactor materials are a technical and commercial opportunity with the advent of the new nuclear energy initiatives. Many potential sensory materials are silicon-based, such as Sic a known high-temperature semiconductor material. Si3N4, and Sialons, and many other structural ceramics that have non-stoichiometric ionic structures excess oxygen or metal ions which, when damaged, will cause measurable changes in their electronic concentrations. The philosophy for use of these electronic property sensors to assess accumulated radiation damage in materials is similar to the use of pyrometric cones to assess the accumulated effects of the thermal experience for the firing of technical ceramics. These electronic property sensors will be placed in the nuclear reactor core area adjacent to materials which are being assessed for radiation damage. This assessment is achieved by the correlation of changes in electronic property data relative to known radiation damage history of specific materials.
Award Announced Date	2008-07-07T00:00:00
Awarded Institution	Center for Advanced Energy Studies
Facility	Microscopy and Characterization Suite
Facility Tech Lead	Alina Zackrone, Gordon Kohse, Yaqiao Wu
Irradiation Facility	None
PI	Travis Koenig
PI Email	[email protected]
Project Type	Irradiation/PIE
RTE Number	98