The effect of neutron radiation on the yield stress of the Bushehr reactor clad
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The effect of neutron radiation on the yield stress of the Bushehr reactor clad Elahe Torabi1 · Mostafa Hasanzadeh2 · Mohamad Amin Amirkhani2 Received: 24 March 2020 / Accepted: 10 June 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract In fission reactors, neutron radiation is the main reason for the displacement of atoms in the crystalline lattice of the material. In this study, this damage is investigated on the fuel clad of the Bushehr reactor, which is Zr + 1%Nb. The MCNPX code is used to simulate the core of the reactor and find the highest neutron flux in the core of the reactor. Both the SRIM and SPECTER codes are used to study the neutron interaction with matter. The damage rate of the SRIM code is calculated in full cascade and quick damage modes, calculated as 2.05E−06 (dpa/s) and 1.06E−06 (dpa/s), respectively. Also, the damage rate in the SPECTER code is 1.0193E−06 (dpa/s), and the result has been compared with the SRIM code results. Using the calculated displacement per atom (dpa), the yield stress of the material, which is the resistance to the stresses, and the electrical resistivity of the material are calculated for 3 years of reactor operation. Both factors have increased over time, and the fuel clad lost its original function. Keywords Radiation damage · Neutron flux · Bushehr nuclear power plant (BNPP) · Fuel clad · SPECTER · MCNPX
1 Introduction A change in the structure of the pure metals and their alloys is created by radiation of high-energy particles that change the position of the atoms in the material. These variations can lead to changes in the macroscopic properties of the material [1, 2]. In other words, radiation of high-energy particles can cause phase transformation in multiphase materials, and corresponding phase change can have a significant effect on the overall material properties and morphology of the microstructure [3–5]. Also, these macroscopic effects include fragility, irradiation growth, and volume increase due to radiation, radiation creep, and separation of alloying elements [6]. Atoms are displaced from their crystal lattice by energy transfer in collisions of neutrons, protons, alpha, and fission fragments [7]. An atom in a crystal lattice requires threshold energy (Ed) to get out of its position. If the energy given to the atom is * Mohamad Amin Amirkhani [email protected] 1
Department of Physics, Science Faculty, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
Reactor and Nuclear Safety Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
2
less than the threshold energy, the atom only vibrates in its position and does not exit [8, 9]. This exited atom, as a knock-on atom, may cause a cascade of displaced atoms. This process continues until the displaced atom does not have enough energy to remove the other atom from the crystal lattice. Therefore, a cascade of knock-on atoms develops from the reaction between a particle and a solid atom. The energy of the primary knock-on atoms (PKA) can be high and create a
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