Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Irradiation behaviour of boron carbide neutron absorber

Kaito, T. (Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., Oarai Engineering Center, Ibaraki (Japan). Nuclear Fuel Research Section); Maruyama, T.; Onose, S.; Horiuchi, H. (Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., Oarai Engineering Center, Ibaraki (Japan). Material Monitoring Section)

Abstract

Boron carbide pellets were irradiated up to 230X 10’26cap/m3 burn-up at maximum temperature of 14OO'C in "JOYO" MK-II core. Pin puncturing tests, density and thermal conductivity measurements were performed on these pellets, and the irradiation behaviors were evaluated. It is concluded that the high burn-up boron carbide pellets take different irradiation behavior from that of low burn-up pellets. If the burn-up and the irradiation temperature are greater than about 100X10’26cap/m3 and about 1000’C, respectively, the helium release is enhanced due to remarkable microcracking of the pellet, which causes the swelling rate decrease.

view the full text of this article (11 pages, format: PDF, size= 802kB)

key words: boron carbides; burnup; density; fast reactors; helium; irradiation; neutron absorbers; performance testing; post-irradiation examination; swelling; temperature range 1000-4000 k; thermal conductivity
Reference:
Technical committee meeting on absorber materials, control rods and designs of backup reactivity shutdown systems for breakeven cores and burner cores for reducing plutonium stockpiles. Obninsk (Russian Federation). 3-7 Jul 1995
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
IAEA-TECDOC--884, pp:158-168