NSUF 23-4765: Ion Irradiation and Post Characterization on Additively Manufactured High Entropy Alloys for Nuclear Applications
Structural materials for advanced nuclear reactor designs will be required to withstand hundreds of displacements per atom (dpa) of irradiation damage, potentially at both extreme environments of temperature and oxidizing environments. One of the ways to enhance the sink strength or radiation resistance in alloys is to introduce multiple interfaces via secondary phase precipitation. High Entropy Alloys (HEA)s offer significant potential for inducing such microstructural heterogeneities, but the conventional processing route involving casting is tedious and time-consuming. Advanced Manufacturing Methods such as directed energy deposition (DED) offer an effective alternative to the traditional route for producing heterogeneous microstructures. In this work, a precipitation-strengthened HEA, Al0.3Ti0.2Co0.7CrFeNi1.7, fabricated via DED method using laser engineered net shaping (LENS), has be chosen for testing of its irradiation behavior. The evolution of the microstructures after ion irradiation (at 600°C), will be assessed to determine its irradiation behavior. Alloy 617 has been identified as one of the candidate materials in Gen IV nuclear reactor systems for components serving in the temperature range of 760– 950°C. In addition, the DED-fabricated Inconel 617 will also be ion irradiated and the effects of ion irradiation on AM fabricated Inconel 617 will be studied. The primary goal of this research is to investigate established structural materials and new emerging alloys which would advance the development of advanced reactors concepts whose design objective is to increase nuclear fuel efficiency safely.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structural materials for advanced nuclear reactor designs will be required to withstand hundreds of displacements per atom (dpa) of irradiation damage, potentially at both extreme environments of temperature and oxidizing environments. One of the ways to enhance the sink strength or radiation resistance in alloys is to introduce multiple interfaces via secondary phase precipitation. High Entropy Alloys (HEA)s offer significant potential for inducing such microstructural heterogeneities, but the conventional processing route involving casting is tedious and time-consuming. Advanced Manufacturing Methods such as directed energy deposition (DED) offer an effective alternative to the traditional route for producing heterogeneous microstructures. In this work, a precipitation-strengthened HEA, Al0.3Ti0.2Co0.7CrFeNi1.7, fabricated via DED method using laser engineered net shaping (LENS), has be chosen for testing of its irradiation behavior. The evolution of the microstructures after ion irradiation (at 600°C), will be assessed to determine its irradiation behavior. Alloy 617 has been identified as one of the candidate materials in Gen IV nuclear reactor systems for components serving in the temperature range of 760– 950°C. In addition, the DED-fabricated Inconel 617 will also be ion irradiated and the effects of ion irradiation on AM fabricated Inconel 617 will be studied. The primary goal of this research is to investigate established structural materials and new emerging alloys which would advance the development of advanced reactors concepts whose design objective is to increase nuclear fuel efficiency safely. |
| Award Announced Date | 2023-09-14T13:40:35.793 |
| Awarded Institution | None |
| Facility | None |
| Facility Tech Lead | Kumar Sridharan, Stuart Maloy |
| Irradiation Facility | University of Wisconsin Ion Beam Laboratory |
| PI | Mohan Sai Kiran Kumar Yadav Nartu |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | None |