Session: MF-06-02 Materials and Technologies for Nuclear Power Plants II

Paper Number: 63006

Start Time: Tuesday, July 13, 2021, 08:00 PM

63006 - In-Situ Evolution of Thermal Property in Sic Composites Under the Combination of He and Si Irradiation 

SiC composites formed by SiC fiber reinforcement have been considered one of the most promising materials for applications of the next-generation nuclear reactor due to its excellent performance in high temperature, high pressure, and high irradiation conditions. This work studies the SiC composite thermal property changes during He irradiation and Si irradiation. Unlike traditional approaches, the study focuses on a unique in-situ thermal property measurement technique, coupling with ion irradiation, laser beam, and infrared detection. This technique uses a high-power laser system as a heat source and enables high-resolution IR cameras to monitor temperature gradient profiles in real-time during irradiation. A fast image processing algorithm is also developed to assist in real-time data visualization. By means of the in-situ thermal property measurement system, the SiC composite specimens are irradiated by 60 KeV He ions first, then 700 KeV Si ions with in-situ thermal measurement to study influence from neutron and fission gas detention. The Si ion dose varies from 1×10¹⁴/cm² to 1×10¹⁷/cm² at different temperatures. The results are discussed, and details on the in-situ measurement technique are provided, which can serve as a platform for rapid irradiation testing for determining the thermal properties of materials.

Presenting Author: Di Chen University of Houston

Authors:

Di Chen University of Houston
Piyush Sabharwall Idaho National Laboratory
Wei-Kan Chu University of Houston
Ken Williams University of Houston