SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1990
STP24650S

Isotopically Alloyed Injector Foils for Helium Effects Research in Mixed-Spectrum Reactors

Source

A novel technique is described for injecting helium into materials of arbitrary type and composition during mixed-spectrum reactor irradiations. This method is a variation of the isotopic alloying technique developed recently, wherein nickel is required as an alloy constituent in the specimens of interest. In the present method no nickel is added to the specimens, so that no changes are introduced in the physical metallurgy. The specimens are interposed between injector foils containing nickel. Helium is generated as a particles of energy 4.7 MeV in the two-step reaction 58Ni(n,γ)59Ni(n,α)59Fe within the injector foils. A fraction of the helium is injected directly into the adjacent specimens to depths of tens of micrometers for typical structural materials. Both the nickel content of the foils and the relative abundances of the isotopes of nickel can be varied to control the helium injection rate over a very wide range, covering helium concentrations of interest in basic studies and technological applications. Mathematical expressions to describe both helium buildup with dose and helium spatial profiles are presented. Results are shown for sample calculations applicable to the quantitative design of experiments in aluminum, copper, and vanadium.

Author Information

Mansur, LK
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
Coghlan, WA
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Price: $25.00
Contact Sales
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Developed by Committee: E10
Pages: 315–325
DOI: 10.1520/STP24650S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5112-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-1266-7