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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.
J. Gan, J. I. Cole, T. R. Allen, R. B. Dropek, G. S. Was
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 44 | Number 1 | July 2003 | Pages 191-195
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Fusion Materials | doi.org/10.13182/FST03-A332
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Model alloys of 304 Stainless Steels (SS) (Fe-18Cr-9.5Ni-1.75Mn) and 304 SS+Zr (Fe-18Cr-9.5Ni-1.75Mn+0.04Zr and Fe-18Cr-9.5Ni-1.75Mn+ 0.16Zr) were irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons to a dose of 1.0 dpa at 400°C. Following irradiation, the microstructure was characterized. The number density, defect size, and size distributions for faulted loops and voids were determined. Swelling for each irradiation condition was calculated based on the void measurements. The effect of Zr addition on the irradiated microstructure and hardening is clearly demonstrated. The number density of defects decreased with the Zr addition while the size change of faulted loops and voids is less pronounced. Radiation hardening was reduced by Zr addition.Void swelling is decreased with Zr addition. The reduction in void density and swelling may be caused by the enhanced recombination of defects at oversized Zr solute atoms, suppressing the vacancy super saturation and therefore directly suppressing void nucleation. The reduction in loop density is believed due to the enhanced point defects recombination caused by oversized solute Zr.
