Contact

Dr. Eberhard Altstadt

Head
Structural Material­s
e.altstadtAthzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 2276

Porträt Dr. Kaden, Cornelia; FWOM

Dr. Cornelia Kaden

c.kaden@hzdr.de, c.heintzeAthzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 3431

orangener PfeilPublications

orangener PfeilHot Cell Testing Facilities

Vorschau-Bild

Structural Materials

The safety of nuclear reactors critically depends on the mechanical behavior of structural materials under harsh environmental conditions (neutron irradiation, high temperatures). In the framework of the program NUSAFE (Nuclear Waste Management, Safety and Radiation Research) of the Helmholtz Association we conduct the multi-scale characterization of irradiated reactor materials. Our focus:

  • Long-term irradiation effects in reactor pressure vessel steels of running and new-build reactors in the context of lifetime extension
  • Assessment of the irradiation tolerance of innovative materials for future reactor concepts (e.g. ferritic/martensitic Cr-steels, oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels, the emerging class of high-entropy alloys)

The methodical spectrum co­vers the full functional chain from nm-scale irradiation-induced defects to macroscopic mechanical properties and aims at the identification of damage mechanisms and unravelling structure-property relations­hips. The new insight substantially contributes to the scientific background for the safety assessment of nuclear reactors. The research relies on a unique infrastructure including the hot cell labs for the investigation of neutron-irradiated materials as well as the HZDR Ion beam Centre for ion irradiation experiments.

Our expertise:

Current projects

  • INNUMAT (EU HORIZON-EURATOM, 2022-2026)
  • ENTENTE (EU-H2020-Euratom, 2020-2024)
  • FRACTESUS (EU-H2020-Euratom, 2020-2024)
  • STRUMAT-LTO (EU-H2020-Euratom, 2020-2024)
  • WetAnnealing (BMWI, 2020-2025)
  • IOANIS 2 (EERA-JPNM Pilote Project, 2023 - 2027)
  • INSITEX (EERA-JPNM Pilote Project, 2023 - 2027)
  • SHERPA (EERA-JPNM Pilote Project, 2023 - 2027)

Latest Publication

Understanding the effect of phosphorous on the ion-irradiation behaviour of RPV model steels using atom probe tomography and nanoindentation

Sharma, D.; Etienne, A.; Henry, R.; Kaden, C.; Picor, M.; Radiguet, B.

Understanding the formation of the embrittling Mn-Ni-Si (MNS)-rich clusters in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels is of economic, environmental, and safety importance. Hence we investigated the influence of phosphorous (P) on the formation of MNS-rich clusters in RPV model steels employing atom probe tomography and nanoindentation tests. The atom probe tomography results show that the average number density and volume fraction of clusters decrease slightly with an increase in the bulk P content; however, higher bulk P led to a slight increase in the average diameter of the clusters. A higher amount of bulk P led to higher Cu in the clusters; suggesting synergy between Cu and P. An increase in the irradiation hardening values was observed due to higher bulk P content. This is attributed to the stabilisation of the self-interstitial atoms (SIA) clusters by P. A higher recovery for the sample containing higher bulk P indicated that the SIA clusters dissolved after post-irradiation annealing.

Keywords: Reactor pressure vessel steels; Irradiation effects; Atom probe tomography; Solute clustering; Hardening

Involved research facilities

Related publications

Team

Foto: Gruppenbild der Abteilung

Head

NameBld./Office+49 351 260Email
Dr. Eberhard Altstadt801/P1512276
e.altstadtAthzdr.de
Dr. Cornelia Kaden801/P1023431
c.kaden@hzdr.de, c.heintzeAthzdr.de

Employees

NameBld./Office+49 351 260Email
Dr. Frank Bergner801/P1503186
f.bergnerAthzdr.de
Dr. Jann-Erik Brandenburg801/P1522301
j.brandenburgAthzdr.de
Dr. Paul Chekhonin801/P1462149
p.chekhoninAthzdr.de
Vanessa Dykas801/P1053363
v.dykasAthzdr.de
Mario Houska801/P1482242
m.houskaAthzdr.de
Libang Lai801/P1533032
l.laiAthzdr.de
Jens Pietzsch801/P0322814
3550
jens.pietzschAthzdr.de
Dr. Andreas Ulbricht801/P1463155
a.ulbrichtAthzdr.de
Tilo Welz801/P0322814
t.welzAthzdr.de