Fast Reactor Materials Issues & Their Implications for Design

Professor R. G. Ballinger

Department of Nuclear Science & Engineering Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

LWR Applications - 1

Extension of LWR Conditions to FR Conditions

• Key Differences

– Flux Distribution

» (Energy )

– Total Dose

» LWR/Thermal-~ 50 dpa max, F R > 100 dpa

– Temperature

» 300  C (>300 for SCW) LWR/Thermal, FR > 500  C

– Fuel Type

» UO 2 ( M OX), UC/UCO LWR/Thermal , UC, UN, ( C ermet, Cer-Cer, etc) F R

» Expos u re (Burnup)

– Cladding Type

» Zr Alloy LWR, SS, Fe-Based, Ceramic (SiC/SiC), etc. FR

» Dose

– Operating Environment

» LWR/”Thermal- Water , He, SCW, FR SC-CO 2 , He,

LWR Applications - 2

Design Implications

• Flux Distribution

– Ra diation Damage

» Temperature, Energy Distribution

• Total Dose

– Ra diation Effects

» Swellin g, He Embritt lement , Creep

• Temperature

– Cree p, Cree p-F a tigue, Microstructural Stability

• Fuel Type

– Fast Reactor “legacy” Data

– Swelling, FGR

• Cladding Type

– Fluence

• Operating Environment

– Corrosion

– Stabilit y (Micr ostructural)

LWR Applications - 3