Embrittlement behaviour of low-activation alloys with reduced boron content after neutron irradiation

Abstract

Ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion applications have been irradiated up to 2.4 dpa in the Petten high flux reactor (HFR); their embrittlement behaviour was investigated by instrumented Charpy-V tests with subsize specimens. The aim of this mid-dose range programme was a comparison of low-activation alloys subjected to different heat treatments and with reduced B contents (down to 2 wt ppm). In the present report, the results of different OPTIFER alloys (Ia, II, IV, V, VI), as obtained in Phases IA and IB of the HFR-irradiation programme (2.4 dpa, at 250–450 °C), are analysed and assessed in comparison to the results of the former MANITU programme. The evaluation clearly shows the eliminated embrittlement problem for the advanced European reduced-activation alloys in comparison to international reference steels. This improvement can be clearly correlated to the reduction of the boron content. Furthermore, the influence of different heat treatments on the impact properties is presented.