The Early Characterization of Irradiation Effects in Stainless Steels at the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II

摘要

The new Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program is revitalizing interest in fast spectrum reactors. With this revitalization comes the need to engineer new high-performance reactors using improved materials, especially materials that can perform adequately at higher temperatures than has previously been required. The previous fast reactor development programs in the United States developed a large knowledge base and a reasonable understanding of the irradiation effects on certain classes of materials, especially stainless steels. With the need for new, high-performance materials today, this established knowledge provides advantages in alloy design.