Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation
Abstract Due to the complex products and irradiation-induced defects, it is hard to understand and even predict the thermal conductivity variation of materials under fast neutron irradiation, such as the abrupt degradation of thermal conductivity of boron carbide (B4C) at the very beginning of the i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Tsinghua University Press
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Advanced Ceramics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-022-0572-8 |
| _version_ | 1797717300592246784 |
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| author | Zhixue Qu Chuanjin Yu Yitong Wei Xiping Su Aibing Du |
| author_facet | Zhixue Qu Chuanjin Yu Yitong Wei Xiping Su Aibing Du |
| author_sort | Zhixue Qu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Due to the complex products and irradiation-induced defects, it is hard to understand and even predict the thermal conductivity variation of materials under fast neutron irradiation, such as the abrupt degradation of thermal conductivity of boron carbide (B4C) at the very beginning of the irradiation process. In this work, the contributions of various irradiation-induced defects in B4C primarily consisting of the substitutional defects, Frenkel defect pairs, and helium bubbles were re-evaluated separately and quantitatively in terms of the phonon scattering theory. A theoretical model with an overall consideration of the contributions of all these irradiation-induced defects was proposed without any adjustable parameters, and validated to predict the thermal conductivity variation under irradiation based on the experimental data of the unirradiated, irradiated, and annealed B4C samples. The predicted thermal conductivities by this model show a good agreement with the experimental data after irradiation. The calculation results and theoretical analysis in light of the experimental data demonstrate that the substitutional defects of boron atoms by lithium atoms, and the Frenkel defect pairs due to the collisions with the fast neutrons, rather than the helium bubbles with strain fields surrounding them, play determining roles in the abrupt degradation of thermal conductivity with burnup. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T08:34:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea33e08c36564bccad847a32cb2bf4d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4108 2227-8508 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T08:34:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | Tsinghua University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Advanced Ceramics |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea33e08c36564bccad847a32cb2bf4d62023-09-02T17:25:19ZengTsinghua University PressJournal of Advanced Ceramics2226-41082227-85082022-02-0111348249410.1007/s40145-022-0572-8Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiationZhixue Qu0Chuanjin Yu1Yitong Wei2Xiping Su3Aibing Du4Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Education Ministry of China, Beijing University of TechnologyFaculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Education Ministry of China, Beijing University of TechnologyFaculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials, Education Ministry of China, Beijing University of TechnologyChina Institute of Atomic EnergyChina Institute of Atomic EnergyAbstract Due to the complex products and irradiation-induced defects, it is hard to understand and even predict the thermal conductivity variation of materials under fast neutron irradiation, such as the abrupt degradation of thermal conductivity of boron carbide (B4C) at the very beginning of the irradiation process. In this work, the contributions of various irradiation-induced defects in B4C primarily consisting of the substitutional defects, Frenkel defect pairs, and helium bubbles were re-evaluated separately and quantitatively in terms of the phonon scattering theory. A theoretical model with an overall consideration of the contributions of all these irradiation-induced defects was proposed without any adjustable parameters, and validated to predict the thermal conductivity variation under irradiation based on the experimental data of the unirradiated, irradiated, and annealed B4C samples. The predicted thermal conductivities by this model show a good agreement with the experimental data after irradiation. The calculation results and theoretical analysis in light of the experimental data demonstrate that the substitutional defects of boron atoms by lithium atoms, and the Frenkel defect pairs due to the collisions with the fast neutrons, rather than the helium bubbles with strain fields surrounding them, play determining roles in the abrupt degradation of thermal conductivity with burnup.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-022-0572-8boron carbide (B4C)thermal conductivityfast neutron irradiation |
| spellingShingle | Zhixue Qu Chuanjin Yu Yitong Wei Xiping Su Aibing Du Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation Journal of Advanced Ceramics boron carbide (B4C) thermal conductivity fast neutron irradiation |
| title | Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation |
| title_full | Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation |
| title_fullStr | Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation |
| title_short | Thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation |
| title_sort | thermal conductivity of boron carbide under fast neutron irradiation |
| topic | boron carbide (B4C) thermal conductivity fast neutron irradiation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-022-0572-8 |
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