AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Energy Frontiers Focus Topic Tuesday Sessions
       Session EN-TuM

Invited Paper EN-TuM1
Materials for Low Risk Nuclear Reactors

Tuesday, November 1, 2011, 8:00 am, Room 108

Session: Industrial Physics Forum on Energy III
Presenter: Todd R. Allen, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Correspondent: Click to Email
Advanced reactor concepts have been proposed for many reasons that could be attributed to “risk reduction.” Risk reduction could mean improved safety margins, more certain economic performance, greater resistance to proliferation, or reduction of risk of exposure during the long-term storage of waste. For many of the envisioned advanced reactor concepts that have been proposed to reduce some form of risk, the ultimate deployment hinges on overcoming challenges in fuels and materials performance. The limits of performance unique to nuclear systems are typically associated with either radiation damage from high-energy particles or due to high-temperature corrosion or stress corrosion cracking. This presentation will provide an overview of the unique operating conditions in proposed reactor concepts and special challenges associated with structural materials operation. Then an overview of two approaches to improve material performance will be presented, specifically use of nanoparticles to improve high temperature strength in radiation fields and the use of tailored systems of grain boundaries to improve corrosion and stress corrosion cracking resistance.