The effect of irradiation on the mechanical properties of nuclear fuel cladding and insulating materials for the Gen. IV pressure tube super critical water reactor

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One of the primary challenges associated with the proposed Generation IV pressure tube type SuperCritical Water Reactor (SCWR) is the selection of suitable nucear fuel cladding and thermal insulating material capable of enduring exposure to high levels of neutron irradiation in a supercritical water environment at temperature in excess of 750C. The leading candidate fuel cladding materials are microstructurally-modified austenitic stainless steel alloys while the leading candidate insulating material is an yttrium-stabilized zirconia. To date nothing is known of the effect of prolonged high-temperature neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of these materials. The proposed research project will obtain such data by performing ion-irradiation on the materials at temperature up to 700C as a means of simulating high-temperature neutron irradiation. Micro-mechanical tests and microstructural analyses, using electron microscopy, of the ion-irradiated material will allow determination, for the first time, of the dependence of the strength, ductility, and microstructural stability of these materials upon irradiation dosage and irradiation temperature. These data are absolutly essential for proceeding with detailed materials selection for the proposed Gen. IV SCWR.