Testing the shelf-life of nuclear reactors

Researchers have devised a quick way to test the structural materials used to build nuclear reactors, details reported in the journal Scripta Materialia

2014-08-20

(Press-News.org) Oxford, August 20, 2014 – Researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls and TerraPower based in Bellevue, Washington, have demonstrated the power of high-energy beams of charged particles (ions). The ions can rapidly and consistently damage samples of ferritic-martensitic steel, the material used in certain nuclear reactor components. The significance of the result is that the breakdown closely replicates that seen when high-energy neutrons from a nuclear reactor interact with the material - damage accrues in a matter of days, rather than decades.

The structural components of advanced reactors such as the sodium fast reactor and the traveling wave nuclear reactor must be able to withstand the extreme levels of radioactivity from the fission reaction itself at temperatures well above 400 Celsius. Unfortunately, standard tests of such components are expensive, require increasingly rare test reactors and test periods that are impractical. Moreover, the samples themselves also become radioactive making subsequent studies and examination time consuming and expensive. Nevertheless, understanding how these structural components are affected by radiation at the microscopic level is critical to building long-lasting, robust and safe nuclear reactors.

To demonstrate the proof of principle with ion beams instead of conventional reaction irradiation, the team of researchers preloaded reactor components of ferritic-martensitic steel with atoms of helium gas, to simulate alpha particles. They irradiated the samples with an ion beam from a particle accelerator at 5 million electronvolts energy and a temperature of 460 degrees Celsius for several hours, and after which used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to characterize the damage caused by the energetic ions penetrating the steel and observed microscopic holes (voids), dislocations and precipitates within the steel - none of which were present before ion irradiation.

Comparing this ion-beam damage with that seen in actual components of the same batch of steel used in a sodium fast reactor during the period 1985-1992, it was found that the types of defects (as well as their sizes and numbers) caused by neutron bombardment from the nuclear reaction to be closely reproduced by that with the ion beam experiments.

Lead author Gary Was hopes that their research will help develop "a stronger understanding of how to use ion irradiation to emulate neutron irradiation to enable the rapid development of new materials for advanced reactors as principal sources of clean energy". With additional work, a rapid, standardized experimental procedure may be developed for the routine evaluation of materials, facilitating the creation of more resilient components for nuclear reactors of the not-so-distant future.

INFORMATION: Notes for editors This article is "Emulation of reactor irradiation damage using ion beams" by G.S. Was, Z. Jiao, E. Getto, K. Sun, A.M. Monterrosa, S.A. Maloy, O. Anderoglu, B.H. Sencer and M. Hackett. It appears in Scripta Materialia, Volume 88, 1 October 2014, Pages 33-36 published by Elsevier. The article is available for free at http://www.materialstoday.com

About Scripta Materialia Scripta Materialia is a letters journal of Acta Materialia, providing a forum for the rapid publication of short communications on the relationship between the structure and the properties of inorganic materials.

About Materials Today Materials Today is a community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience. Supported by Elsevier, we publish high impact peer-reviewed journals, organize academic conferences, broadcast educational webinars and so much more.

About Elsevier Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions — among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence, and ClinicalKey — and publishes nearly 2,200 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and over 25,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works.

The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Media contact Baptiste Gault
Elsevier
+44 1865 843344
b.gault@elsevier.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve graft with CNTF for sciatic nerve repair

2014-08-20

Chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve, from which Schwann cells, myelin sheath and disintegrating fragments have been removed, reduced postoperative immune rejection. Simultaneously, chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve retains neural substrates and base materials, such as the bottom layer of Schwann cells, which can provide a good scaffold in the process of nerve regeneration. Chemically extracted acellular allogeneic nerve, similar to autologous nerve transplantation, can guide nerve regeneration and provide a favorable local environment for neural ...

The channel that relaxes DNA

2014-08-20

VIDEO: This is a model DNA chain inside a nanochannel that is 100nm wide. The spontaneous dynamical evolution of the DNA is accompanied by frequent knotting and entanglement at the chain ends.... Click here for more information. With the widespread use of methods for DNA analysis and manipulation, it's certainly useful to find a way to unravel and relax the strands of this molecule that tends to form tangles spontaneously. One way is to use channels, or rather nano-channels, ...

Test reliably detects inherited immune deficiency in newborns

2014-08-20

A newborn screening test for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) reliably identifies infants with this life-threatening inherited condition, leading to prompt treatment and high survival rates, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers led by Jennifer Puck, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, also found that SCID affects approximately 1 in 58,000 newborns, indicating that the disorder is less rare than previously thought. The study was funded in part by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ...

Mums trust mums on the net: Australian study

2014-08-20

Facebook groups for mothers are overtaking the traditional mums-and-bubs and playgroup environments as a source of trusted advice, and offers a largely untapped marketing tool for businesses wanting to sell their products, an Australian study has found. QUT educationalist Dr Rebecca English and marketing expert Dr Raechel Johns from the University of Canberra said word-of-mouth in mothers' groups and communities had fast become a major influence in mothers' buying habits. The study, Mothers' influencing mothers: the use of virtual discussion boards and their influence ...

Sunblock poses potential hazard to sea life

2014-08-20

The sweet and salty aroma of sunscreen and seawater signals a relaxing trip to the shore. But scientists are now reporting that the idyllic beach vacation comes with an environmental hitch. When certain sunblock ingredients wash off skin and into the sea, they can become toxic to some of the ocean's tiniest inhabitants, which are the main course for many other marine animals. Their study appears in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. Antonio Tovar-Sanchez and David Sánchez-Quiles point out that other than staying indoors, slathering on sunscreen is currently ...

Diabetes calculator helps identify A&E patients at risk of disease

2014-08-20

A new online tool will help doctors predict which patients are most likely to develop diabetes. The calculator will help doctors identify high risk patients so that they can be tested for the disease and offered lifestyle advice. The test is targeted at people who have been admitted to hospital for emergency care. Experts say it could offer a cost-effective way to identify people with diabetes in Scotland as it avoids the need for significant investment in screening. The test calculates a person's risk of developing diabetes over the next three years based on their ...

Seeing a molecule breathe

2014-08-20

For the first time, chemists have succeeded in measuring vibrational motion of a single molecule with a femtosecond time resolution. The study reveals how vibration of a single molecule differs from the behaviour of larger molecular groups. The study was performed at the University of California, Irvine, where post-doctoral researcher Eero Hulkko from the University of Jyväskylä works as a visiting fellow under professor Vartkess A. Apkarian, whose team participated in the study. The second team was lead by Professor Eric O. Potma. The results of the study made the cover ...

Treating pain by blocking the 'chili-pepper receptor'

2014-08-20

Biting into a chili pepper causes a burning spiciness that is irresistible to some, but intolerable to others. Scientists exploring the chili pepper's effect are using their findings to develop a new drug candidate for many kinds of pain, which can be caused by inflammation or other problems. They reported their progress on the compound, which is being tested in clinical trials, in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Laykea Tafesse and colleagues explain that decades ago, scientists had pegged a compound called capsaicin as the active ingredient in chili peppers that ...

USC Eye Institute study finds African-Americans at higher risk for diabetic vision loss

2014-08-20

LOS ANGELES — Research by Keck Medicine of USC ophthalmology scientists demonstrates that African Americans bear heavier burden of diabetic macular edema (DME), one of the leading causes of blindness in diabetic patients in the United States. The research published online today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Ophthalmology, indicates a higher burden of diabetes-related vision loss among certain ethnic populations because of problems with access to care, said corresponding author Rohit Varma, M.D., M.P.H., director of the USC Eye Institute and ...

The changing landscape of religion

2014-08-20

Religion is a key factor in demography, important for projections of future population growth as well as for other social indicators. A new journal, Yearbook of International Religious Demography, is the first to bring a quantitative demographic focus to the study of religion. The journal is co-edited by IIASA researcher Vegard Skirbekk, an expert in the field of religious demography. The first edition of the journal includes three studies by IIASA researchers: Vienna: Growing diversity in religion and ethnicity The city of Vienna is growing increasingly diverse in both ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New strategies to enhance chiral optical signals unveiled

Cambridge research uncovers powerful virtual reality treatment for speech anxiety

2025 Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit to spotlight groundbreaking research

International survey finds that support for climate interventions is tied to being hopeful and worried about climate change

Cambridge scientist launches free VR platform that eliminates the fear of public speaking

Open-Source AI matches top proprietary model in solving tough medical cases

Good fences make good neighbors (with carnivores)

NRG Oncology trial supports radiotherapy alone following radical hysterectomy should remain the standard of care for early-stage, intermediate-risk cervical cancer