Nuclear physical properties of zirconium alloys E110 and E635 under long-term neutron irradiation in VVER-1000 reactor

• Published in: Inorganic materials : applied research Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 124 - 128
• Main Authors: Blokhin, D. A., Chernov, V. M., Blokhin, A. I., Demin, N. A., Sipachev, I. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht SP MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica 01-04-2012
• Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Inorganic Chemistry; Materials of Power Engineering and Radiation-Resistant Materials; Materials Science; zirconium alloys; E635; E110; activation; neutron irradiation; transmutation
• ISSN: 2075-1133; 2075-115X
• DOI: 10.1134/S2075113312020037

For zirconium alloys of the type E110 (Zr-Nb) and E635 (Zr-Nb-Sn-Fe), the dynamics of accumulation (variation) of concentrations of alloying elements and impurities, including hydrogen and helium, the behavior of primary radiation damage and radioactivity under irradiation up to 50 years in the neutron spectrum of a VVER-1000 fission reactor, and the decrease (cooling) for a period of up to 1000 years after ending of the irradiation are computed using the ACDAM computational system, which includes libraries of recommended microscopic cross sections of neutron reactions, activation cross sections, and decay data. Alloys E110 and E635 when irradiated for more than four years do not meet “low activation material” criteria; they cannot be put in a recycling process for re-fabrication but must be packaged and buried for a time exceeding 1000 years.