Use Of Neutron Beams For Materials Research Relevant To The Nuclear Energy Sector

"This publication is a compilation of the main results and findings of an IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on development, characterization and testing of materials of relevance to nuclear energy sector using neutron beams. The document contains joint research results from nineteen institutions, which can be grouped into the main six technical areas: investigation of oxide dispersion-strengthened steels, research on zirconium based materials (including hydrogen uptake), investigations of welded structures and objects, results with irradiated materials, optimization of instruments for residual strain/stress measurements, and efforts towards standardization of neutron imaging. Particular emphasis was placed on variable environments during material characterization and testing as required by some applications such as intensive irradiation load, high temperature and high pressure conditions, and the presence of strong magnetic fields. The publication also includes some additional materials supplied by the international experts along with nineteen individual contributions describing the current status of use of diverse neutron beam techniques for materials research targeting the nuclear energy sector. These nineteen individual reports are available on CD-ROM attached to this publication. The publication will be of interest to physicists and engineers in the area of materials research, neutron beam scientists and personnel responsible for instruments, managers of neutron beam facilities, nuclear reactor designers and nuclear industry representatives."--Publisher's description.

Annotation This publication aims to expand the knowledge and understanding of material behaviour in terms of their characterization and qualification under extreme conditions for nuclear energy technologies, and also to contribute to the enhancement of utilization and applications of research reactor and accelerator based neutron sources.

The IAEA organized and coordinated the technical meeting Use of Neutron Beams for High Precision Nuclear Data Measurements, in Budapest, Hungary, 1014 December 2012. The objectives of the meeting were to provide a forum to exchange existing know-how and to share the practical experiences of neutron beam facilities and associated instrumentation, with regard to the measurement of high precision nuclear data using both accelerators and research reactors. Furthermore, the present status and future developments of worldwide accelerator and research reactor based neutron beam facilities were discussed.

Industrial growth, energy consumption are seen as measures towards economic developments. With increase in industrial development worldwide, the demand of energy is continually on the rise. Today, the energy industry is facing many challenges. Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are seen as important future energy sources. Development of innovative reactor designs with large efficiency for fuel burn up is one of the needs of fission reactors. The materials resistant to high dose of radiations in fusion reactors is another major challenge. The production of electricity without global warming is an important pressing demand on the energy sector. The demands on quality control of components for nuclear and heavy industry are very stringent. Development of well characterized, high quality materials is therefore essential for safe, efficient and reliable operation of engineering components. The diagnosis of failure of machinery parts comes from the post operational characterization of materials. Various destructive and non-destructive techniques are used for this purpose. Research reactors have played an important role in non-destructive characterization of materials and have contributed to technology development. This publication focuses on characterization of materials for industries in general and nuclear energy sector in particular. The main focus is on research reactor based techniques with some discussion on other allied methods like positron annihilation.--Publisher's description.

This book comprehensively presents the concepts of neutron physics and imaging including neutron properties, neutron matter interaction, neutron imaging, comparison with X-ray and physics and design of neutron sources. It discusses how neutron imaging has gained importance as a powerful non-destructive technique to understand the internal structures of materials/engineered components in wide range of industries by increasing their applicability and efficiency. The book also covers the topics of neutron optics and detectors, basic principles of neutron radiography and tomography, related standards, safety, metrology and regulations in neutron imaging. The book presents applications of neutron imaging in the areas of aerospace industry, nuclear power and manufacturing industry, materials science and engineering, geomechanics, national security, biological, and medical domain. Given its scope, the book will be highly beneficial for postgraduate students, researchers and industry professionals working in the area of engineering and physics, especially non-destructive testing and non-destructive evaluation through neutron imaging.

This publication is the result of an IAEA coordinated research project and presents a survey of the basic principles, requirements, preparation, design, execution and standardisation of residual stress measurements using neutron beams. It includes details of experimental techniques, associated equipment and instrumentation, their commissioning and calibration, control and data acquisition. A separate chapter is dedicated to data analysis and interpretation. At the end, the document provides, with a number of selected examples, applications of residual stress measurements as well as future trends for development and use of this powerful technique. The publication is a comprehensive and useful resource to the neutron beam user community including academia and industrial partners. It may serve as an introduction to the field for young researchers and graduate students as well as guidelines to those operating or planning to implement/modernise their facilities for residual stress measurements. Ultimately, the document presents neutron beams as a valuable and effective tool for performing residual stress measurements both for basic research and various applications.

"This publication presents the proceedings of a technical meeting on research reactor application for materials under high neutron fluence. The overall objective of the meeting was to enhance research reactor utilization in Member States for practical applications such as isotope production, neutron radiography, neutron beam research, and material characterization and testing consistent with the reactor's research function. In addition, the meeting participants focused on the specific applications of research reactors in irradiation of materials at high neutron fluence, as well as integration issues. The publication will serve as a tool to maintain existing knowledge available in Member States and is expected to contribute to the initiation and development of new research programmes related to the testing of structural materials needed for innovative reactor systems"--Publisher's description.

Neutron radiography represents a powerful non-destructive testing technique that is still very much in development. The book reveals the amazing diversity of scientific and industrial applications of this technique, the advancements of the state-of-art neutron facilities, the latest method developments, and the expected future of neutron imaging.