NSUF 18-1606: Neutron Irradiation and Activation of Fe, Co and Ni Aerosol Jet Printed Structures
A fundamental challenge that this project intends to explore is the incorporation of a new method for sensor fabrication utilizing, additive manufacturing techniques, within the nuclear industry by initiating the development of a database of suitable nuclear grade inks for advanced in-pile instrumentation. The ability to directly write and integrate electronic components onto physical packaging can be achieved with advanced manufacturing methods, such as aerosol jet printing (AJP). Incorporation of AJP in the nuclear industry would enable the development of advanced sensors for in-pile measurements, and instrument technologies necessary to address critical technology gaps for monitoring and controlling advanced reactor experiments and fuel cycle facilities. Such technology has the potential to directly impact the management and long-term operation of nuclear power plants. Recently, AJP has demonstrated the ability to print patterns intended for electronic applications, but the environmental robustness of AJP inks and processes for nuclear applications has not been investigated. To demonstrate the feasibility of AJP in the nuclear industry, our focus will be on the ‘proof of principle’ of AJP-based sensors by developing fundamental knowledge of the neutron response of commercially available AJP electronic grade nanoparticle inks to neutron irradiation. Experiments will compare the neutron activation of AJP printed structures and their bulk counterparts. Our initial investigations have shown that printed structures have behave differently (ie. different failure mechanisms) than that of their bulk counterparts and these phenomena must be characterized before continued development of AJP-based sensors. For this Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE), we propose to use the pneumatic tube facilities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (MITR) for neutron irradiation as a preliminary screening of the neutron induced activation of Fe, Co and Ni AJP manufactured dosimeters. This screening process will begin the path towards developing a Printable Nuclear Grade Materials (PrintNG) library. The timeframe for this irradiation at MITR is 6 days of total irradiation time and 10 days of PIE. Printed structures will be in the form of neutron dosimeter foils. The neutron dosimeter foils will include 5 sets of 6 samples which will each include 3 printed foils consisting of ~2 mg of Fe, Co or Ni and 3 control samples. We anticipate the highest activities will occur for a 3 hour irradiation of 2 mg of Cobalt, producing about 7 microcuries of Co-60 in 1PH1 and 50 microcuries in 2PH1. Printed foils will be deposited on titanium coated (~15 nm) sapphire and quartz wafers (0.5 in. × 1.0 in2). The difference between sample sets will be the irradiation times, which will vary from 15 minutes to 3 hours (15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hrs and 3 hrs). Low fluences in this experiment are justified as the intention is not to induce structural damage, but to demonstrate a new method for neutron dosimeter fabrication. After this RTE irradiation at MITR is complete, PIE of the printed structures, neutron activation analysis, will also be performed at MITR. SEM and TEM imaging will be performed at Boise State University under DOE Contracts with Idaho National Laboratory. Results of these RTE evaluations will be documented in appropriate publications and presented at conferences.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | A fundamental challenge that this project intends to explore is the incorporation of a new method for sensor fabrication utilizing, additive manufacturing techniques, within the nuclear industry by initiating the development of a database of suitable nuclear grade inks for advanced in-pile instrumentation. The ability to directly write and integrate electronic components onto physical packaging can be achieved with advanced manufacturing methods, such as aerosol jet printing (AJP). Incorporation of AJP in the nuclear industry would enable the development of advanced sensors for in-pile measurements, and instrument technologies necessary to address critical technology gaps for monitoring and controlling advanced reactor experiments and fuel cycle facilities. Such technology has the potential to directly impact the management and long-term operation of nuclear power plants. Recently, AJP has demonstrated the ability to print patterns intended for electronic applications, but the environmental robustness of AJP inks and processes for nuclear applications has not been investigated. To demonstrate the feasibility of AJP in the nuclear industry, our focus will be on the ‘proof of principle’ of AJP-based sensors by developing fundamental knowledge of the neutron response of commercially available AJP electronic grade nanoparticle inks to neutron irradiation. Experiments will compare the neutron activation of AJP printed structures and their bulk counterparts. Our initial investigations have shown that printed structures have behave differently (ie. different failure mechanisms) than that of their bulk counterparts and these phenomena must be characterized before continued development of AJP-based sensors. For this Rapid Turnaround Experiment (RTE), we propose to use the pneumatic tube facilities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (MITR) for neutron irradiation as a preliminary screening of the neutron induced activation of Fe, Co and Ni AJP manufactured dosimeters. This screening process will begin the path towards developing a Printable Nuclear Grade Materials (PrintNG) library. The timeframe for this irradiation at MITR is 6 days of total irradiation time and 10 days of PIE. Printed structures will be in the form of neutron dosimeter foils. The neutron dosimeter foils will include 5 sets of 6 samples which will each include 3 printed foils consisting of ~2 mg of Fe, Co or Ni and 3 control samples. We anticipate the highest activities will occur for a 3 hour irradiation of 2 mg of Cobalt, producing about 7 microcuries of Co-60 in 1PH1 and 50 microcuries in 2PH1. Printed foils will be deposited on titanium coated (~15 nm) sapphire and quartz wafers (0.5 in. × 1.0 in2). The difference between sample sets will be the irradiation times, which will vary from 15 minutes to 3 hours (15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hrs and 3 hrs). Low fluences in this experiment are justified as the intention is not to induce structural damage, but to demonstrate a new method for neutron dosimeter fabrication. After this RTE irradiation at MITR is complete, PIE of the printed structures, neutron activation analysis, will also be performed at MITR. SEM and TEM imaging will be performed at Boise State University under DOE Contracts with Idaho National Laboratory. Results of these RTE evaluations will be documented in appropriate publications and presented at conferences. |
| Award Announced Date | 2018-09-17T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | None |
| Facility | None |
| Facility Tech Lead | Gordon Kohse |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | David Estrada |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 1606 |