A variable-gap model for helium bubbles in nickel

Abstract

In nuclear fission reactors, the amount of helium produced in materials by transmutation reactions at the end of the lifetime may reach several thousands of atomic parts per million (appm). Such high levels of helium production can impact the evolution of microstructures, particularly by forming helium bubbles. To better understand the role of helium on the stability of bubbles, a “variable-gap model” was parametrized with molecular dynamics (MD) calculations performed in nickel. This model predicts binding energies in a good agreement with MD values, especially for large bubbles. For very small bubbles, the influence of magic number sizes and faceting is more complex than can be described with the model. For these cases, it is proposed to use MD values directly.