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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.
M. E. Sawan, L. Snead, S. Zinkle
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 44 | Number 1 | July 2003 | Pages 150-154
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Fusion Materials | doi.org/10.13182/FST03-A325
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The radiation effects in the fiber, matrix, and interface components of the SiC/SiC composite material are important input for lifetime assessment. Neutronics calculations were performed to determine the radiation damage parameters in the fiber/matrix and the candidate interface materials. The radiation damage parameters were calculated for both the carbon and silicon sublattices. The radiation damage parameters were evaluated for representative candidate breeding blankets. The breeder and/or coolant such as Pb83Li17, Flibe and Li2O affect the radiation damage parameters by impacting the neutron spectrum. The results provide an essential input for SiC/SiC composite lifetime assessment. The impact of the unique features of inertial fusion systems on damage parameters are identified.
