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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Laila A. El-Guebaly
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 22 | Number 1 | August 1992 | Pages 124-134
Technical Paper | D-3He/Fusion Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A30062
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The implications of the D-3He fuel cycle on shielding design are investigated for tokamak power reactors of the ARIES/Apollo class. The prime function of the shield is to protect the superconducting magnets against radiation. A variety of shield options is examined, and the various shields are optimized for the D-3He neutron spectrum. The results demonstrate the relative merits of the various materials as a function of the shield thickness. In the first wall/shield, low-activation structural materials (such as Tenelon, modified HT-9, silicon carbide composites, and carbon-carbon composites) were employed to reduce the radioactive inventory and increase the safety margin in case of accidents. A comparison between the different shield options based on detailed neutronics, environmental/safety, and economic assessments has led to the selection of the reference shield design. The first-wall/shield structure is made of an elementally tailored ferritic steel (MHT-9), and the thermal energy is converted through an organic coolant at 44% efficiency. The safety features of the low-activation steel shield, along with the low neutron production in the D-3He fuel cycle, enable the ARIES-III/Apollo design to achieve acceptable environmental and safety characteristics.
