Abstract
The polymer-matrix nuclear radiation shielding material is an important component of nuclear power plants. However, its mechanical properties and shielding performance gradually deteriorate due to the long-term synergy of nuclear radiation and thermal effects, which brings hidden dangers to the safe operation of the device. Based on this problem, this article makes a comprehensive review. First, the degradation of mechanical properties and shielding performance of polymer-matrix nuclear radiation materials in service is briefly described. Then, the research methods adopted by scholars to study the change law of properties and performance are introduced, and the main existing difficulties encountered by the study are summarized. Finally, the physical mechanism of the change of material properties is explained in detail, and a reference approach to solving the problem is proposed.
Highlights
This article was submitted to Nuclear Energy, a section of the journal Frontiers in Energy Research
The polymer-matrix nuclear radiation shielding material is an important component of nuclear power plants, and its mechanical properties and shielding performance determine whether the device can operate safely
Under the synergistic effect of nuclear radiation and thermal effects, polymer-matrix nuclear radiation shielding materials first experience the damage caused by the interaction of atomic-scale rays with the material nuclei and extranuclear electrons and the evolution of the molecular scale and mesoscopic scale, and it shows the change of macroscopic mechanical properties and shielding performance of the material
Summary
Et al, 2009; Cai et al, 2018). The neutron activation reaction is a typical case. The temperature of the external environment and the heat generated by the interaction between the rays and the material will act on the material On one hand, it will change the cross-sections of the interaction between the thermal neutrons and the nuclei (Trumbull, 2006; Zu et al, 2018), and it indirectly affects the generation of secondary gamma rays. Under the synergistic effect of nuclear radiation and thermal effects, polymer-matrix nuclear radiation shielding materials first experience the damage caused by the interaction of atomic-scale rays with the material nuclei and extranuclear electrons and the evolution of the molecular scale and mesoscopic scale, and it shows the change of macroscopic mechanical properties and shielding performance of the material. As the materials serve in nuclear power plants over time, the mechanical properties and shielding effect of the material will gradually degrade or even fail, which will result in hidden dangers to the safe operation of the nuclear power plant
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