Effect of low-temperature neutron irradiation on the properties of titanium beryllide

Abstract

Beryllium-based intermetallic compounds, such as Be12Ti, are increasingly being considered as a material capable of replacing pure beryllium in structural elements of fusion reactors. Be12Ti is considered as a neutron breeder material, a structural part of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed of the DEMO reactor. It is expected that the replacement of beryllium by Be12Ti will make it possible to reduce the capture of tritium in the blanket without a significant decrease in the neutronic characteristics. Unlike beryllium, beryllides have relatively recently begun to be considered for use in nuclear and thermonuclear facilities, so the radiation resistance of these compounds remains little studied. This paper presents the experimental results on effect of low temperature neutron irradiation to properties of titanium beryllide samples manufactured by industrial technology in the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP, Kazakhstan). The manufactured samples before and after irradiation were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), hydrostatic weighing method, dimension method and microhardness measurement by Vickers method.

Keywords

• Titanium beryllide
• Neutron irradiation
• WWR-K
• Fusion reactor
• Neutron breeder
• SEM