Parametric study of 15Cr / 15Ni austenitic steels swelling behavior under irradiation using cluster dynamics

A. Vaugoude (1) , T. Jourdan (1) , Mh. Mathon , D. Thiaudiere , A. Legris (2) , Y. de Carlan (3)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)
2 UMET - Unité Matériaux et Transformations - UMR 8207
3 SRMA - Service des Recherches Métallurgiques Appliquées

As part of the research program on generation IV reactors, CEA is developing new grades of austen-itic steels for the fuel cladding of Sodium Fast Reactors (SFR). Austenitic stainless steels show ex-cellent properties in SFR’s extreme operating conditions: corrosive environment, high operating tem-perature (400-700 ° C) and highly energetic neutron flux. However, the appearance of the swelling phenomenon under irradiation limits cladding lifespan. The most optimized French grade is AIM1, a 15Cr-15Ni austenitic stabilized steel, which sustain doses up to 100 displacements per atom (dpa).

Keywords: Austenitic stainless steel; swelling; AIM2; irradiation

Domains: Physics [physics]; Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex]; Physics [physics]; Nuclear Theory [nucl-th]

A. Vaugoude, T. Jourdan, Mh. Mathon, D. Thiaudiere, A. Legris, et al.. Parametric study of 15Cr / 15Ni austenitic steels swelling behavior under irradiation using cluster dynamics. ICAPP 2019 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants, May 2019, Juan Les Pins, France. ⟨cea-02339464⟩