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DOE OSTI · 3002829

Shielded magnetic small-angle neutron scattering for characterization of radioactive samples

Field, Kevin G. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)]·Massey, Caleb P. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]·Smith, Kurt R. [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]·Briggs, Samuel A. [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)]·Zhang, Dalong [Baylor Univ., Waco, TX (United States)]·Littrell, Kenneth C. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000323088618)
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Abstract

The development of a Pb-shielded fixture for the execution of a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS)-based workflow for interrogation of highly irradiated nuclear materials has been explored. The Pb shielding was specially designed to reduce the detected radioactivity from the specimen during SANS experiments, and the overall configuration is termed shielded magnetic SANS (SM-SANS). Two FeCrAl-based alloys, C35M and 125YF, were examined with the SM-SANS technique using a free-form size distribution locally monodisperse model in both the as-received and irradiated states. Quantitative values derived from the free-form size distribution were compared with atom probe tomography experiments. Microstructural and compositional parameters determined using the two characterization techniques were complements of each other. The results demonstrate that the SM-SANS technique is an effective means of characterizing nanoscale clustering in irradiated material systems and provides new avenues for investigating radioactive material microstructures.

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FeCrAlSANSmagnetic scatteringradioactive materials characterizationsmall-angle neutron scattering

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Field, Kevin G. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)], Massey, Caleb P. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)], Smith, Kurt R. [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)], Briggs, Samuel A. [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)], Zhang, Dalong [Baylor Univ., Waco, TX (United States)], Littrell, Kenneth C. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000323088618). 2025-05-31. Shielded magnetic small-angle neutron scattering for characterization of radioactive samples. https://doi.org/10.1107/s1600576725003176

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DOE OSTI2025

A methodology for corrosion testing ODS steels in liquid tin under reactor conditions in HFIR

Liquid metal–based divertor concepts have promising attributes for application in fusion reactors. Liquid tin is being considered as one of those liquid metals due to its excellent thermophysical properties. However, tin is extremely corrosive to steels at elevated temperatures, and the coupled effects of corrosion with neutron irradiation for application in fusion reactors have not been quantified. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have designed and irradiated a series of capsules in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to help address gaps in the literature with respect to coupled corrosion and neutron irradiation effects. The capsules are filled with solid tin designed to melt due to the gamma heating in HFIR and allow interaction with the specimens. The capsules contain a SiC thermometer for post-irradiation temperature verification. Five capsules were irradiated in HFIR for 10.5 days, accumulating 0.93 dpa in the FeCrAl specimens. Post-irradiation temperature verification was performed on the SiC thermometers, and temperatures were observed to be higher than what was expected from thermal models. An explanation for the model underprediction is given herein. In conclusion, the capsules described within this article are the first to irradiate liquid metal within the HFIR flux trap and demonstrated the safety basis for continued liquid coolant studies in HFIR.

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