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SiC Based Neutron Flux Monitors for Very High Temperature Nuclear Reactors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Wolfgang Windl
Affiliation:
windl.1@osu.edu, The Ohio State University, Materials Science and Engineering, 2041 College Rd., Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
Behrooz Khorsandi
Affiliation:
khorsandi.1@osu.edu, The Ohio State University, Nuclear Engineering, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
Weiqi Luo
Affiliation:
luo.53@osu.edu, The Ohio State University, Materials Science and Engineering, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
Thomas E. Blue
Affiliation:
blue.1@osu.edu, The Ohio State University, Nuclear Engineering, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States
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Abstract

The Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) and the Very-High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR) are next-generation high-temperature reactor types that are being designed to operate under normal conditions with primary coolant outlet temperatures in the range of 850 °C and 1000 °C, respectively. A new type of silicon carbide based diode neutron detector is currently under development in order to monitor the neutron flux in this environment. An important problem, in this context, is the long-time reliability of the diodes under continuous irradiation at high temperatures. In this paper, we discuss a computational methodology to study the accumulation of radiation damage in the detectors as a function of temperature and its influence on the electrical properties.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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