Abstract
With the development of nuclear industry, spent nuclear fuel (SNF) generated from nuclear power plants arouses people’s attention as a result of its high radioactivity, and how to guarantee the reliable operation of nuclear facilities and the staff’s safety occupies a crucial position. To avoid the lethal irradiation, a lot of functional neutron shielding composites have been developed to transform fast neutrons into thermal neutrons which can be absorbed with high macroscopic cross-sectional elements. Irradiation characteristics of nuclear industry have promoted the advancement of neutron shielding materials. Here, we review the latest neutron shielding materials for the storage of spent nuclear fuel containing additives such as boron carbide (B4C), boron nitride (BN), boric acid (H3BO3), and colemanite. Different types of neutron shielding materials, including metal matrix alloys, polymer composites, high density concrete, heavy metals, paraffin, and other neutron shielding composites with high macroscopic cross-sectional elements, arediscussed. The elemental composition, density, and thermal and mechanical properties of neutron shielding materials are also summarized and compared.
Highlights
Traditional coal-based energy structure has caused environmental pollution and ecological destruction, while the energy and environmental problems have become the greatest social and economic constraints of sustainable development [1]
Neutron shielding materials need to have the effect of neutron shielding performance and neutron irradiation resistance [5]. e main concern of neutron shielding materials concentrates on the planning and designing of component composition, including the heavy elements interacting with fast neutrons via inelastic scattering, light elements acting as a moderator reacting with thermal neutrons via elastic scattering, and boron elements with a high neutron absorption cross section, to attain the purpose of neutron shielding via the synergistic reaction of these substances
Helium behavior, bubble formation, and its evolution in the process of neutron irradiated that B4C/Al composite is deeply investigated [22], and the results reveal that helium bubbles in Al matrix are so much larger when compared with B4C reinforcements after the irradiation of helium ion with the intensity of 1.5 × 1017 ions/cm2; besides, bubbles generated at the interface or nearby are oriented
Summary
Traditional coal-based energy structure has caused environmental pollution and ecological destruction, while the energy and environmental problems have become the greatest social and economic constraints of sustainable development [1]. Nuclear power could not yield greenhouse gas emissions after taking the environmental protection into consideration, it creates its own waste-spent nuclear fuel with high level radioactivity and generates the particle emissions or high-energy electromagnetic waves. Ese nuclear power plants have generated 3.5 million tons of radioactive wastes, yet still engendering 10,000 tons annually. Nuclear waste can generate alpha, beta, gamma, proton, and second gamma particle emissions, accompanied by a lot of neutron emissions [2]. Erefore, it is imperative to promote the research and development of neutron shielding materials to ensure the reliable operation and sustainable development of nuclear industry. The SNF should be firstly stored in the wet pools for 3–5 years, to take the heat generated by nuclear fuel away and attenuate fast neutrons. While dry cask storage is a safer storage mode, it can transfer radioactive waste from wet pools to on-site dry casks directly. ese casks always use passive air cooling and do not need other system to back it Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
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