Radiation Effects in Fission and Fusion Reactors

Abstract

Since the prediction of “Wigner disease” [1] and the subsequent observation of anisotropic growth of the graphite used in the Chicago Pile, the effects of radiation on materials has been an important technological concern. The broad field of radiation effects impacts many critical advanced technologies, ranging from semiconductor processing to severe materials degradation in nuclear reactor environments. Radiation effects also occur in many natural environments, ranging from deep space to inside the Earth’s crust. As selected examples that involve many basic phenomena that cross-cut and illustrate the broader impacts of radiation exposure on materials, this article focuses on modeling microstructural changes in iron-based ferritic alloys under high-energy neutron irradiation relevant to light water fission reactor pressure vessels. We also touch briefly on radiation effects in structural alloys for fusion reactor first wall and blanket structures; in this case the focus is on modeling the evolution of self-interstitial atom clusters and dislocation loops. Note, since even the narrower topic of structural materials for nuclear energy applications encompass a vast literature dating from 1942, the references included in this article are primarily limited to these two narrower subjects. Thus, the references cited here are presented as examples, rather than comprehensive bibliographies. However, the interested reader is referred to proceedings of continuing symposia series that have been sponsored by several organizations, several monographs [2, 3, 4] and key journals (e.g., Journal of Nuclear Materials, Radiation Effects and Defects in Solids).