About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2020 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
|
Radiation Effects in Metals and Ceramics
|
Presentation Title |
Analysis of Neutron Irradiation Induced Element Redistribution in Ceramic and Metallic Alloy TPBAR Components |
Author(s) |
Arun Devaraj, Bethany Mathews, Bruce Arey, Elizabeth Kautz, Danny J Edwards, Gary Sevigny, David J Senor |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Arun Devaraj |
Abstract Scope |
Tritium, a hydrogen isotope of significant importance, is generated by neutron irradiation of Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rods (TPBARs), which are specifically designed to produce and capture tritium. Inside each TPBAR there are lithium aluminate pellets, enriched in 6Li, that produces tritium upon neutron irradiation. Tritium is then absorbed by a Zircaloy-4 getter tube that surrounds the LiAlO2 pellet. These components are encapsulated inside a stainless steel cladding. Most traditional characterization methods including electron microscopy and diffraction studies using X-rays do not have sufficient sensitivity or spatial resolution needed for understanding how the distribution of various elements in each component gets redistributed under neutron irradiation, especially when it comes to light elements. Hence in this work we utilized Atom probe tomography correlated with electron microscopy to systematically analyze the solute distribution in both as-fabricated and neutron irradiated TPBAR components to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the microstructural evolution under irradiation. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Supplemental Proceedings volume |