USAEC, technical information service extension, March 1959

JOURNAL

OF NUCLEAR

- 4 (1959)

MATERIALS

377-380

- NORTH-HOLLAND

PUBLISHING

CO., AMSTERDAM

damage

BOOK REVIEWS US/UK

GRAPHITE

CONFERENCE,

Technical

Inforwbation

Service

156 pages.

$ 1.75. TID-7565,

This publication to

18th,

for co-operation

from

arose

between

the USA

effects

on graphite

Services, DC,

America

have

to British

have

been

a better

includes 8 American one

paper

joint

engineers Smythe

remains

is only

a very

book

to Part

troduction

and the discussions have not been reported the

important

introduction

points

incorporated obvious, the

raised

in

the

however,

discussion

Conference

booklet

date

(1957).

However,

been

on graphite

tabled

reactors

a detailed

are,

of

reactor paper

(which

irradiation

Conference

of

the

limit

properties greatest

They

were

of graphite. importance

later

phenomenon.

(particularly

It

at

The

for some time), appears

limitation

paper

is ascribed

by

all the

Unfortunately,

J.

at

which

atoms, requires It is now known in removing

even

This process

from

the

effect

of

energy

of

to the subject damage

an experimental paper

of the physi-

in

graphite

paper

by

by Simmons who

energy.

information

the British

papers

available

are and

and a paper

summarise

These

Bell

to

appear the

to

British

at the time and show how closely the Ameri-

about inconsi-

damage,

4 o/0of the kinetic

irradiation

stored

of (by

as arising

with

a general

on

engineers

may

can be removed

is effective

contribution

of

can

circumstances

in graphite

reveal

is

it was already

such as is associated

temperat’ure.

and Greenough,

results

in re-

annealing

atom.

heavy

and by no means following

atoms

that

temperatures

is the first to specify This

Conference.

reactor

effect’ive

at low temperatures.

interpreted

effects

by Bell

results.

carbon atoms in the energy range 3 t,o 25 eV,

Simmons,

in

British

clear that

the heavier

annealing

in

Geneva

in an American

damage:

atoms,

while

annealing

first

Thermal

damage,

carbon

damage

represented

UK

important damage

the

wit’h clusters of displaced

The British

makes it clear that Wigner

has been known

The

to

temperatures

cal

These

republished

lower

the primary

and

it quite

damage.

that. the initial interstitial

i.e. carbon

of reactor

irradiation on at

in removing

w&h

displaced

489).

Hanford

selective

the heavy

meeting

of

makes

irradiation

has been

had been

is a most

375” C is remarkably

that irradiation

submitted

effects

P/614 of the Geneva

the st,orage of energy

irradiation.

from

the

at

of do

been much

paper

it was introduced

paper

is associated

up to

(BNL

where

a much higher annealing

Energy.

at a, French/American emanate

shrinkage.

Davidson),

known

that

had apparently

held at Brookhaven

500” C) leads to a steady derable

means

have

746) on the basis of a few

present

rather

effects

knowledge

touched

been

1955 Geneva

some of the papers

by E. M. Woodruff

growth

this

papers

of

be a transient

no

Nightingale

first

irradiation

reported.

at the

description

technology.

1958 as paper

is by

Uses of Atomic

presents

on the physical course,

have

by

graphite

moving

“energy

the second.

aspect

The

of the

on irradiation

published

Graphite

The first three radiation

This

inadequately

on the Peaceful

present

give

papers.

information

was first

The

already

some

in the discussion

has been

to this US/UK

that

in-

and it seems safe to conclude

Comprehensive in graphite

claims

brief

higher

available

to the study of the irradiation

was

which

at

a higher

The results

if the third

This

(P

evidence

and would

understood

results

be in great

accumulating

requires

phenomenon.

paper

clearly

a,lso presents

a clear picture

Conference

been

will

for its removal.

paper

will

at temperatures

The corresponding

damage

before

and irra-

engineers

irradiation

temperatures

contribution

report,,

has

paper that

easily

The

after

rea,ctor graphites The

not give

and

consigned although

in graphite

300” C is negligible.

introduced

papers and excludes and

stored

more

such

The

classified

2. There

in

reactor

to find that the amount of energy

above

activation”

be of

publication,

be gratified

irradiation

25,

to publish

arrangement).

and 7 British

which

The

will no doubt

as took place in the case of the original would

British

demonstrates

of Technical

Washington

reactor

that

of irradiation

annealing.

demand.

and

reactions.

(The decision

thought

the effects

diation

for British

agreement

on irradiation

the Office

than in the UK

16th to

and the UK

of Commerce,

inconvenience

one would

the

gas:graphite

of $1.75.

rather

from

discussion

from

Department

at a price

great

and

is available

between probably

December

meeting

was meant to cover classified publication

1959).

of the papers submitted

in London

1957. The

(USAEC,

March

Pt.1).

is a record

a Conference

1957.

Extension,

approach

has

been

British

followed

in

this

country.

reactors have not been running

as long as their American counterparts so that the saturation of the stored energy had not yet been

M.

encountered

which

under neutron

in the UK.

that the UKAEA

to a balance

ing techniques 377

(It

developed while

is interesting

to observe

their own elegant

the USAEC

employed

meaaurthe US

that, t#Jlr rat,c~ 01’ 111~ il.riL(liiltioll-ill(li1(‘(~~1 r(‘i~(‘t l,,ri, clcJ)cnrletl 011 the J,rcssurc\ of thus gas. ‘J’lt(> r;ttc~ I Ii oxidation

obscrvcd

irl-J)ile \t‘c~re rt11112h higllc*r Ilrirr~

those for oltt-of-J)ilt: conclusion

thaf. thrl enhancement

formation. Oni:

American

themselves kinetics

and

with

of

interior

and

(AERE)

activation”

modrl

of heating is applied

tho consequences

in graphite.

booklet

Geneva

confercncc, on

storctl

graphite

reactor

and a rrport

the Proceedings was not availablr

arising

one may

from

maclc:

KrapJlito in

thcl knowl&c

of

regard

BriGsh

cal reactions

of graphite

attention

report,ed

graphite

with

concluded graphit.?

rcsnlts

11x-

as u post

-

t.o oxygen.

the rractiorl.

neutrons

exerted

effect.

reactor.

defects not

at

thcb (:cncs\~

that

irradiation

of the crystals.

effect.

1)~

protht~cl

The dcfcct,s

{This

paper

rq)p(‘:tr(d

one cannot do better

of Tt. L. (larter theory

studied

more

1~1 at,

of irradiation

known”.

damage

However, in this

respect,

a ftuldarnental prothtccd

reactors

order

lnqratnmc.

in tht> coIusc

All

t,llo papers

atoms

in reporting

I\t 250 and 350” (1‘ the presence

Doses have

and

of work

of the Wl’IZ

t.he impression

that

has been given and this

iii pro-

t yp’. Olt(>

t,Jlf>c:J1(mical

a surprisinpiy

is difficult t,ho lark

measuring

the

of rrniforrnit >

irradiation

in &I’ll

10~

to ~~rltlersljarlcl.

emphasize

been report,ttl

tlosag(l.

(lays J~ar a(l,ja~crlt,

of the radiation cansrtl a large incrcasc in the rate of oxidation. However, at 350 ant1 400’ C the out-of-

tonne

pile reaction temperat,ures,

(nvt R.E.). This lack of lmifnrrnity must havta given the Conference considrrablr food for thought, and OIW

appeared difficult

rates wcrv smaller than at the lowcxr and the presenc’e of thck radiation

to inhibit

the reactions

~vcn f’urthcr.

t,o accept &ose rrsult)s as anything

preliminary

measnrement,s.

I’t is

ot,her than

The corresponding

Rritish

paper by Wright of Hat-well describes experiments done mainly at 200” C in BEPO end it was concludetl

CT),

(M\l’/AT),

1t

of the rc>slllts

and it, is rclmarlrablp ho\v few rc?sldts

avoid

of priority

ntr>

ht>rc leas 11o1hclclrl

rrsearab

cmanatec1 f’rom wwtors

also cannot

t hall

The papers leave the> strong

is very not,iceable t.hat t,Jtevast majorit,v been

in graJ)hit (>

graphit,ct has JXVII

irrlprcssion that t,Jlc work presented by

than (luote ttrcl

~vho claims that “a c~omplct,c~l>

t,horoughly

other substance

side of the work on

single c:r,vstals of oxidation

and it was shown that the (*orrosion WLX

In conelnsion,

have

Laborator~~

can calaim t,o b(s

as P/177X).

du&ion

of

National

whicll

the effects

appears

a catalytic

Gmeva

have

rays enhanced

but the displaced

on rrl(usur’(~-

as 01‘ it FJrcli-

nat)urr. He irradiated

all surfaces

on

and

It was

influence

at,rnost,hc~rc~.

conccnt’rat iorl irk tlrca

of the Argonne

It

to corrosion

and

by pu-irradiating

a large

!l’hr Jn-esence of gamma

the rate of rract ion somewhat had a larger

Kosiba

clone, on rcnction

air in t,hr? Brookhavc,n

that the atoms displaced with

on the cherni-

with gases arc’ included of work

dioxide

(P/303),

t,he only paper

microscopy.

backed

is paid

mcasIIrf~rrl(~rlts itr

TJlis reJ)ort sl~ould bc read in tht, light

ant1 examint~l

satisfactory

on t,his incident.

particular

of

monoxide

remains to be formulatecl.

ac*citlpntj so that,

lItis work

sJlo\vt~I

there was a11 irratliatiorr-

in t ht, carbon

of a fundamental

words

papc’r sinoca the mcasur(l-

Four papers on the effect of irradiation

Dienes

were

Ridg’

was inclrldetl

the- n’indsaalc

in some ways

mortem

Oak

at

to the

at) t,Jle time of thca confcrc~nc~~. This interesting

Results that

J)resentetl was based largely

Hennig

of graphite

Jn-actical

was pnblishetl

on this snhjrrt

wc’rc1 donc~ in

prrience

of

Labo-

Subsequent,

measurements

in the

pile.

aubsecJurrltj paper

Finally,

of this Conferences t.holtgJt the paper

is a part~icnlarly ments

National

and

Clonferenct’.

storc~l energy

of‘ grest

work

P/462.

ctnrq)’

cont,nincd

the

has presented

This

measurernent,s

csircuit nncl must be regardotl

the

I~intlscalc~

in \\7itltlscal(~

natllrc.

of

thfl

Experience

minary

in tllc Hrookhaven

interest.

sunlrnarist~d (xin

reactor

111 stjndyinp tJlt* spread

1Ilk, I o oz/.orui f’ror~i I tic

loss dcJ~~ntlet1 on tht: posit ion of 1tI(,

ment)s of the carbon

model)

and

secJuenc~

wJlicJ1 rcleascs

in 1968 as paper

Harwell

srtgg&ed

The evidence

paJ>~r citrn(

graphit (‘. This work

react,or anal this js clearly

ant1 historical

m

was tluc:

measurements

reactors.

JJromotetl reaction

da.magc.

inc*lndcs a J3apt:r on tJl<> control

damagtl

the

C’aldrr Hall

(a “constant

frequency

Hall

the weight

specimen

high

in 1958 (P/2485).

radiation ratories’

blocks so that

A Iatflr account. of’ tJlis ~vorlc ~vas givc,n

at Geneva The

(AERE)

wave

c~onfirmctl

of arbitrary

of reactor

by Foreman

of a temperatlue

on

\~%ry lit tie

and a constant

and cooling

clahoratcs

on two mod&

Calder

that

13ntish

at. \F’indscale

of oxidation

and

skin develop-

graphite

periencc

hy

rises t)o relat,ivtlly

acculnulates

elaborates

for predicting

insulating

of t’he

Xnoth~~r

cY-11 Hrench

It

paper

The

International

blocks

rorurn

J)icture

relcasc.

of rra&or

of these

t,emperatures Lamer

energy

of a t)hermally

ing on the surface the

pq~rs

thearctical

of Atomics

the possibility

British

a mainly

graphite

R. L. Carter

two

tcxsts and thr evitlcncc~ ICYI to

nvt

hopes Several

thermal

M\V days

Jjcr central

tSonnr~,(NlJ\-/

and Repo

equivalent

nvt

t,hat t,his may typographical

result errors

thc~rmal

in some stautlartlisatiorl. and

fanItS. legc~tls

on

the figures have been noted but, these tlo notj mar what is a unicJue collnction

of data

for

reuatnr, graphites.