Kinetic study of copper precipitates under VVER-type reactor conditions
The copper-rich cluster evolution in the neutron-irradiated VVER steels is investigated beginning at the nucleation stage. For this, typical VVER-type reactor conditions are considered. The cluster dynamics approach is used for calculation of the density distribution of copper precipitates
related to the number of Cu-atoms or radius, mean radius, volume content, number density of precipitates and the concentration of free Cu-atoms in dependence on the irradiation time. The results for time of one year are compared with the results of small angle neutron scattering experiments which
were carried out on specimens irradiated at the surveillance positions of VVER reactors. It has revealed the intermediate type of the evolution kinetics between diffusion and interfacial kinetics limited regimes. The duration of the nucleation and deterministic stages is estimated. The coarsening
stage does not occur.
Keywords: Cluster dynamics; Microstructure; Neutron irradiation; Radiation defects; Reactor pressure vessel steel
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: South Ukrainian Pedagogical University Department of Physics 65020 Odessa Ukraine 2: Institut für Sicherheitsforschung Forschungszentrum Rossendorf e.V. PF 510119 01314 Dresden Germany
Publication date: 01 November 2003
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