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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Radiation tolerant nanocrystalline ZrN films under high dose heavy-ion irradiations

ZrN, a refractory ceramic material, finds many potential applications in advanced nuclear reactors. However, the grain size dependent radiation response in nanocrystalline (nc) ZrN under high dose heavy ion irradiation has not yet been studied to date. Here, we compare the radiation response of nc-ZrN films (with a respective average grain size of ∼9 and 31 nm) to Fe{sup 2+} ion irradiations up to a damage level of 10 displacements-per-atom (dpa). The ZrN film with the average grain size of 9 nm shows prominently enhanced radiation tolerance as evidenced by suppressed grain growth, alleviated radiation softening, as well as reduced variation in electrical resistivity. In contrast, ZrN with the larger average grain size of 31 nm shows prominent radiation softening and resistivity increase, attributed to the high density of defect cluster formed inside the grains. The influence of grain boundaries on enhanced irradiation tolerance in nc-ZrN is discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Cluster dynamics models of irradiation damage accumulation in ferritic iron. II. Effects of reaction dimensionality

The black dot damage features which develop in iron at low temperatures exhibit significant mobility during in situ irradiation experiments via a series of discrete, intermittent, long range hops. By incorporating this mobility into cluster dynamics models, the temperature dependence of such damage structures can be explained with a surprising degree of accuracy. Such motion, however, is one dimensional in nature. This aspect of the physics has not been fully considered in prior models. This article describes one dimensional reaction kinetics in the context of cluster dynamics and applies them to the black dot problem. This allows both a more detailed description of the mechanisms by which defects execute irradiation-induced hops while allowing a full examination of the importance of kinetic assumptions in accurately assessing the development of this irradiation microstructure. Results are presented to demonstrate whether one dimensional diffusion alters the dependence of the defect population on factors such as temperature and defect hop length. Finally, the size of interstitial loops that develop is shown to depend on the extent of the reaction volumes between interstitial clusters, as well as the dimensionality of these interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

The self-annealing of irradiation induced defects in magnetite Fe 3 O 4 : Revealing reversible irradiation-induced disorder transformation through in situ TEM

This work reports heavy ion-irradiation effects in polycrystalline Fe 3 O 4 . For this matter, Fe/Fe 3 O 4 heterostructures were irradiated in situ in a transmission electron microscopy with 1 MeV Kr ions at 50 K. Evidence of cubic to monoclinic transformation (a.k.a Verwey transition) was recorded in some magnetite grains upon cooling the sample (around 90 K); however, most of the oxide grains retain their cubic spinel structure. Irradiation effects were analyzed in the cubic phase up to a maximum dose of 38 dpa without the sign of amorphization. The extinction of first-order reflections was recorded at doses below 1 dpa, indicating the formation of a new (metastable) phase with half of the lattice parameters compared to the unirradiated Fe 3 O 4 crystal. The formation of the new crystalline phase, which also presents a high resistance to amorphization, is related to the disordering of the cation lattice and the high mobility of the cation interstitials. The metastable phase readily recovers around 225 K during the natural warming of the sample from 50 K to room temperature.

Atom irradiation effects↗
DOE OSTI2015

In situ defect annealing of swift heavy ion irradiated CeO 2 and ThO 2 using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell

Hydrothermal diamond anvil cells (HDACs) provide facile means for coupling synchrotron Xray techniques with pressure up to 10 GPa and temperature up to 1300 K. This manuscript reports on an application of the HDAC as an ambient-pressure sample environment for performing in situ defect annealing and thermal expansion studies of swift heavy ion irradiated CeO 2 and ThO 2 using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The advantages of the in situ HDAC technique over conventional annealing methods include: rapid temperature ramping and quench times, high-resolution measurement capability, simultaneous annealing of multiple samples, and prolonged temperature- and apparatus stability at high temperatures. Isochronal annealing between 300 K and 1100 K revealed 2-stage and 1-stage defect recovery processes for irradiated CeO 2 and ThO 2 , respectively; indicating that the morphology of the defects produced by swift heavy ion irradiation of these two materials differs significantly. These results suggest that electronic configuration plays a major role in both the radiation-induced defect production and high temperature defect recovery mechanisms of CeO 2 and ThO 2 .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Evaluating the Accuracy of Various Irradiance Models in Detecting Soiling of Irradiance Sensors

We evaluate the feasibility of using various clear-sky models or purchased satellite data for estimating the soiling of a reference cell irradiance sensor. We find results to be more accurate for models that consider local meteorological conditions. We conclude that given the data sets considered, and depending on the requirements of the data analyst, choosing to use purchased satellite irradiance data from Solargis to estimate the soiling of a reference cell sensor tends to yield more accurate results, although there are instances where a clear-sky model performs better. The SOLIS clear-sky model in PVLIB with variable P wat provided useful soiling results, implying that the general method of using a clear-sky model with local meteorological data may provide a low-cost tool for detecting soiling of irradiance sensors.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Comparison of gain degradation and deep level transient spectroscopy in pnp Si bipolar junction transistors irradiated with different ion species

Here, we studied the effect of light ion and heavy ion irradiations on pnp Si BJTs. A mismatch in DLTS deep peak amplitude for devices with same final gain but irradiated with different ion species was observed. Also, different ions cause different gain degradation when the DLTS spectra are matched. Pre-dosed ion-irradiated samples show that ion induced ionization does not account for the differences in DLTS peak height but isochronal annealing studies suggest that light ions produce more VP defects than heavy ions to compensate for the lack of clusters that heavy ions produce. The creation of defect clusters by heavy ions is evident by the higher content of E4 and V* 2 defects compared to light ions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

IVEM Contributions to CINR Penn State MT17-12797: In situ Ion Irradiation to Add Irradiation Assisted Grain Growth to the MARMOT Tool

In-situ TEM experiments were performed at the IVEM-Tandem Facility in Argonne National Laboratory to study the irradiation-induced grain growth of nanocrystalline UO 2 and CeO 2 thin films using 1 MeV Kr ions at various temperatures from 50K to 1073K. The grain growth kinetics was studied under both irradiation and thermal annealing conditions. Bright field and dark field TEM images and diffraction patterns were systematically recorded as a function of temperature, irradiation dose and annealing time. A comprehensive grain growth data of UO 2 was collected for further analysis and for the implementation to the MARMOT tool.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Review of Swift Heavy Ion Irradiation Effects in CeO2

Cerium dioxide (CeO2) exhibits complex behavior when irradiated with swift heavy ions. Modifications to this material originate from the production of atomic-scale defects, which accumulate and induce changes to the microstructure, chemistry, and material properties. As such, characterizing its radiation response requires a wide range of complementary characterization techniques to elucidate the defect formation and stability over multiple length scales, such as X-ray and neutron scattering, optical spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. In this article, recent experimental efforts are reviewed in order to holistically assess the current understanding and knowledge gaps regarding the underlying physical mechanisms that dictate the response of CeO2 and related materials to irradiation with swift heavy ions. The recent application of novel experimental techniques has provided additional insight into the structural and chemical behavior of irradiation-induced defects, from the local, atomic-scale arrangement to the long-range structure. However, future work must carefully account for the influence of experimental conditions, with respect to both sample properties (e.g., grain size and impurity content) and ion-beam parameters (e.g., ion mass and energy), to facilitate a more direct comparison of experimental results.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

An advanced materials irradiation facility for materials and fuels irradiations at the high flux isotope reactor

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a pressurized, light-water-cooled and -moderated, beryllium-reflected, 85 MW research reactor fueled by Highly enriched {sup 235}U. The Materials Irradiation Facility (MIF) at HFIR) is one of the two experimental platforms in the US that can host fully instrumented and monitored experiments in a high-neutron-flux environment. The unique advantage of instrumented capsules is that the researcher can monitor and acquire in situ data and change capsule operating conditions in real time during the irradiation. Recently ORNL funded a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project to strategically enhance the capabilities of MIF and provide researchers with a more flexible experimental platform. MIF comprises 4 systems: a gas supply system, a supervisory control system, an effluent system, and a standard gas routing system. The first 3 systems have common functionality for all types of experiments. The gas routing system provides the correct gases and gas mixtures for individual experiments and is unique to each experiment. MIF improvements include an updated and more sophisticated experiment monitoring system, a modular design allowing easier addition of simultaneous experiments, and features that allow rapid incorporation of additional instrumentation. The new design is both modular and re-configurable. It calls for a standard gas routing system module that can be configured with software to allow for easy expansion to multiple experiments. The ability to monitor the effluent activity during fissile material irradiation is a much needed enhancement for detecting fuel failures or determining fission product release. A gamma-ray spectrometry will be installed in a bypass gas line off the effluent main stream. The gas will flow through the detector for continuous detection of the particles of interest.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Post-irradiation Heating Tests of As-Irradiated AGR-3/4 TRISO Fuel Compacts

Four post-irradiation heating tests of fuel compacts from the U.S. Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR)-3/4 irradiation experiment were completed. In addition to tristructural isotropic (TRISO)-coated driver fuel, each compact contained designed-to-fail (DTF) particles with fuel kernels coated only in pyrocarbon so as to simulate exposed kernels. Tests at 1600/1700°C, 1400°C, and 1200°C were performed to measure fission product release as a function of time and temperature. Silver release was highest in the 1200°C test, supporting the observation that silver release rates are highest in the 1100–1300°C range. Compared to tests of AGR-1 compacts with no exposed kernels, the Cs-134 and Kr-85 releases were noticeably higher in AGR-3/4. The exposed kernels’ contributions to Eu and Sr release are inconclusive, due to the difficulty in distinguishing among the combined effects of higher irradiation temperatures in these particular AGR-3/4 compacts, the presence of the DTF particles, and the Fuel Accident Condition Simulator (FACS) test temperatures. These data can be used to make inferences about fission product retention in exposed kernels as a function of time and temperature.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Computationally-efficient stochastic cluster dynamics method for modeling damage accumulation in irradiated materials

An improved version of a recently developed stochastic cluster dynamics (SCD) method (Marian and Bulatov, 2012) [6] is introduced as an alternative to rate theory (RT) methods for solving coupled ordinary differential equation (ODE) systems for irradiation damage simulations. SCD circumvents by design the curse of dimensionality of the variable space that renders traditional ODE-based RT approaches inefficient when handling complex defect population comprised of multiple (more than two) defect species. Several improvements introduced here enable efficient and accurate simulations of irradiated materials up to realistic (high) damage doses characteristic of next-generation nuclear systems. The first improvement is a procedure for efficiently updating the defect reaction-network and event selection in the context of a dynamically expanding reaction-network. Next is a novel implementation of the τ-leaping method that speeds up SCD simulations by advancing the state of the reaction network in large time increments when appropriate. Lastly, a volume rescaling procedure is introduced to control the computational complexity of the expanding reaction-network through occasional reductions of the defect population while maintaining accurate statistics. The enhanced SCD method is then applied to model defect cluster accumulation in iron thin films subjected to triple ion-beam (Fe{sup 3+}, He{sup +} and H{sup +}) irradiations, for which standard RT or spatially-resolved kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are prohibitively expensive.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗