Search results for " reactor"

ODS ferritic steels obtained from gas atomized powders through the STARS processing route: Reactive synthesis as an alternative to mechanical alloying

2018

Authors acknowledge ALBA synchrotron (Spain) for the provision of beamtime on the beam line BL22-CLAESS (Proposal 2016081797). Transmission electron microscopy observations were accomplished at Centro Nacional de Microscopía Electrónica, CNME-UCM. This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014–2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. Financial support from Basque Government through the ELKARTEK ACTIMAT 2016 project is also acknowledged.

Micro-Raman analysis of the fuel-cladding interface in a high burnup PWR fuel rod

2017

International audience; New insights on the fuel-cladding bonding layer in high burnup nuclear fuel were obtained using micro-Raman spectroscopy. A specimen was specifically prepared from a fuel rod which had been irradiated to an average burnup of 56 GWd.tU-1 in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). Both inner and outer corrosion scale regions were investigated. A 10-15 et956;m thick zirconia bonding layer between fuel and cladding materials which consisted of three distinct regions was observed. Close to the fuel, tetragonal, then monoclinic zirconia was identified as the main phases. Close to the bonding layer-cladding interface, peculiar Raman signals were observed. Similar signals were ob…

Implementing first principles calculations of defect migration in a fuel performance code for UN simulations

2009

Results are reported of first principles VASP supercell calculations of basic defect migration in UN nuclear fuels. The collinear interstitialcy mechanism of N migration is predicted to be energetically more favourable than direct [0 0 1] hops. It is also found that U and N vacancies have close migration energies, and O impurities accelerate migration of N vacancies nearby. These values are both in qualitative agreement with the effect of oxygen on the reduction of the activation energy for thermal creep reported in the literature, as well as in quantitative agreement with the experimental data when taking into account the uncertainties. The migration energies have been implemented in the t…

Overview of the HCPB Research Activities in EUROfusion

2018

In the framework of the EUROfusion’s Power Plant Physics and Technology, the working package breeding blanket (BB) aims at investigating four different BB concepts for an EU demonstration fusion reactor (DEMO). One of these concepts is the helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) BB, which is based on the use of pebble beds of lithiated ternary compounds and Be or beryllides as tritium breeder and multiplier materials, respectively, EUROFER97 as structural steel and He as coolant. This paper aims at giving an overview of the EU HCPB BB Research and Development (R&D) being developed at KIT, in collaboration with Wigner-RCP, BUTE-INT, and CIEMAT. The paper gives an outline of the HCPB BB design evolut…

Overview of the DEMO staged design approach in Europe

2019

This paper describes the status of the pre-conceptual design activities in Europe to advance the technical basis of the design of a DEMOnstration Fusion Power Plant (DEMO) to come in operation around the middle of this century with the main aims of demonstrating the production of few hundred MWs of net electricity, the feasibility of operation with a closed-tritium fuel cycle, and maintenance systems capable of achieving adequate plant availability. This is expected to benefit as much as possible from the ITER experience, in terms of design, licensing, and construction. Emphasis is on an integrated design approach, based on system engineering, which provides a clear path for urgent R&D …

Experimental Assessment of a Flat Sandwich-Like Self-Powered Detector for Nuclear Measurements in ITER Test Blanket Modules

2018

Neutron and gamma flux measurements in designated positions in the test blanket modules (TBMs) of ITER will be important tasks during its campaigns. Investigations on self-powered detectors (SPDs), a class of reactor flux monitors are undertaken in the framework of an ongoing project on development of nuclear instrumentation for European ITER TBMs. This paper reports the findings of experiments performed with an SPD in flat sandwich-like geometry. A detector with vanadium emitter is chosen for preliminary studies. Its irradiation in a thermal neutron field gives a proof of the principle of flat SPDs. It is further irradiated in the mixed neutron-gamma field of a 14-MeV neutron generator and…

Relevance of β-delayed neutron data for reactor, nuclear physics and astrophysics applications

2023

Initially, yields (or abundances) and branching ratios of β-delayed neutrons (βdn) from fission products (Pn-values) have had their main importance in nuclear reactor control. At that time, the six-group mathematical approximation of the time-dependence of βdn-data in terms of the so-called "Keepin groups" was generally accepted. Later, with the development of high-resolution neutron spectroscopy, βdn data have provided important information on nuclear-structure properties at intermediate excitation energy in nuclei far from stability, as well as in nuclear astrophysics. In this paper, I will present some examples of the βdn-studies performed by the Kernchemie Mainz group during the past th…

Erratum to "Determination of the irradiation field at the research reactor TRIGA Mainz for BNCT" [J. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 67 (2009) S242-S246].

2016

The Szilard–Chalmers effect in macrocyclic ligands to increase the specific activity of reactor-produced radiolanthanides: Experiments and explanatio…

2012

Abstract Successful utilization of medical isotopes in the radiolabeling reactions to a significant degree depends on the technically achievable specific activity. In this respect, the Szilard-Chalmers effect is considered in detail as a radiochemical tool to increase the specific activity of radionuclides produced by direct nuclear reactions. In the present study, a physico-chemical model is described utilizing the specific aspects of thermodynamically and kinetically stabilised metal-ligand complexes. The approach is applied as a proofof- principle study to increase the specific activity of 166Ho, produced via the (n, γ) nuclear reaction. As a target material, 165Ho-DOTA is used. In this …

Measurement of the 241Am neutron capture cross section at the n-TOF facility at CERN

2016

New neutron cross section measurements of minor actinides have been performed recently in order to reduce the uncertainties in the evaluated data, which is important for the design of advanced nuclear reactors and, in particular, for determining their performance in the transmutation of nuclear waste. We have measured the 241 Am(n,γ) cross section at the n TOF facility between 0.2 eV and 10 keV with a BaF2 Total Absorption Calorimeter, and the analysis of the measurement has been recently concluded. Our results are in reasonable agreement below 20 eV with the ones published by C. Lampoudis et al. in 2013, who reported a 22% larger capture cross section up to 110 eV compared to experimental …