Developing Ultra-small Scale Mechanical Testing Methods and Microstructural Investigation Procedures for Irradiated Materials

Abstract

Nuclear materials are an essential aspect of nuclear engineering. While great effort is spent on designing more advanced reactors or enhancing a reactor’s safety, materials have been the bottleneck of most new developments. The designs of new reactor concepts are driven by neutronic and thermodynamic aspects, leading to unusual coolants (liquid metal, liquid salt, gases), higher temperatures, and higher radiation doses than conventional light water reactors have. However, any (nuclear) engineering design must consider the materials used in the anticipated application in order to ever be realized. Designs which may look easy, simple and efficient considering thermodynamics or neutronic aspects can show their true difficulty in the materials area, which then prevents them from being deployed. In turn, the materials available are influencing the neutronic and thermodynamic designs and therefore must be considered from the beginning, requiring close collaborations between different aspects of nuclear engineering. If a particular design requires new materials, the licensing of the reactor must be considered, but licensing can be a costly and time consuming process that results in long lead times to realize true materials innovation.