Characterisation of Irradiation-Induced Precipitates in VVER-Type RPV Steel 15Kh2MFA by Anomalous Small Angle Ray Scattering


Characterisation of Irradiation-Induced Precipitates in VVER-Type RPV Steel 15Kh2MFA by Anomalous Small Angle Ray Scattering

Böhmert, J.; Brauer, G.; Große, M.; Eichhorn, F.

Irradiation-induced precipitates are the cause for neutron embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels. It can be shown that for the VVER-type steel 15Kh2MFA the shift in the ductile-brittle transition temperature depends nearly linearly on the volume fraction of these precipitates.
The nature of the irradiation-induced precipitates has been investigated at the steel 15Kh2MFA. This steel differes from ASTM-type A503 and 533 steels mainly in its content of the carbide forming elements chromium, molybdenum and vanadium.
Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments using the SANS-2 facility at the FRG-1 reactor in Geesthacht (Germany) were employed in the past. SANS gives information about size and volume fraction of the precipitates, but hardly about the chemical composition.
In order to prove and to characterize the nature of the irradiation-induced precipi- tates anomalous small angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) has been carried out at the JUSIFA facility of Hamburg synchrotron laboratory HASYLAB (Germany) at present. By the method of contrast variation, it is also possible to get information on the chemical composition.
ASAXS experiments with contrast variation at energies near the vanadium-K -absorption-edge reveal the content of vanadium within the irradiation-induced precipitates. The scattering density of the precipitates is lower than the scattering density of the iron matrix. The chemical shift of the vanadium K -absorption-edge shows that vanadium does not precipitate in an elementary state. Assuming, the precipitates are vanadium carbide these results can be explained. The results are in accordance with those of SANS experiments and former positron annihilation spectroscopy experiments.

  • Lecture (Conference)
    5th Meeting of the International Group on Radiation Damage Mechanisms, Santa Barbara, May 1994

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Publ.-Id: 1836