Initial microstructure and temperature dependence of irradiation defects evolution in tungsten

Hui Zhi Ma, Yu Hao Li, Yu Ze Niu, Dmitry Terentyev, Zhangcan Yang, Hong Bo Zhou, Guang Hong Lu

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    Using the object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) method and the sink strength model, we systematically investigated the influence of the initial microstructure and temperature on the aggregation, migration, removal, and resulting size distribution of defects emerging in tungsten (W) under neutron irradiation. It is found that the probability of defect absorption at grain boundaries is generally higher than that at dislocations. This suggests that the grain size (2 ∼ 20 μm) has a stronger effect on the evolution of irradiation defects compared to dislocation density (1010 m−2 ∼ 1013 m−2). As the grain size increases, the number of residual defects decreases but the size distribution of vacancies is basically unchanged. Besides initial microstructure, the evolution of radiation damage also depends on the irradiation temperature. The increase in temperature induces an initial increase in the number density of voids, and then followed by subsequent decreases, corresponding to the peak density at 800–1000 K. Furthermore, the defect evolution in irradiated W with different initial microstructures and temperatures is simulated, and the calculated results are compared with recent experiments. These results help us to understand the role of the initial microstructure of the material in the evolution of the irradiation defects.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number154932
    Number of pages11
    JournalJournal of Nuclear Materials
    Volume591
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 1 Apr 2024

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
    • General Materials Science
    • Nuclear Energy and Engineering

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