Irradiation Test Plan for the ATR National Scientific User Facility - University of Wisconsin Pilot Project

The performance of advanced nuclear systems critically relies on the performance of the materials used for cladding, duct, and other structural components. In many proposed advanced systems, the reactor design pushes the temperature and the total radiation dose higher than typically seen in a light water reactor. Understanding the stability of these materials under radiation is critical. There are a large number of materials or material systems that have been developed for greater high temperature or high dose performance for which little or no information on radiation response exists. The goal of this experiment is to provide initial data on the radiation response of these materials. The objective of the UW experiment is to irradiate materials of interest for advanced reactor applications at a variety of temperatures (nominally 300°C, 400°C, 500°C, and 700°C) and total dose accumulations (nominally 3 dpa and 6 dpa). Insertion of this irradiation test is proposed for September 2008 (ATR Cycle 143A)