Page 317 - 00. Complete Version - Progress Report IPEN 2014-2016

Materials and Nanotechnology | Progress Report 317

focus on their economic aspects. In this con-
text, CCTM has been participating to provide
an additional option to safely store spent nu-
clear fuel for extended periods in wet basins.

Establishment of Material Properties
Database for Irradiated Core Structural
Components of aging Research Reactors

Today, more than 50% of operating research
reactors (RR) are over 45 years old, and more
than 30% are over 50 years of operation. Con-
tinued safe and efficient operation depends
amongst others on the predictability of struc-
tural materials behaviour of major compo-
nents such as reactor vessel and core support
structures, many of which are difficult to re-
place. Management of the ageing process re-
quires predictions of the behaviour of materi-
als subjected to irradiation. In many instances,
data for the radiation-induced changes of re-
search reactor core materials resulting from ex-
posure to very high neutron fluences are not
generally available because the materials and
operating conditions are diverse and specific.
Therefore, effective sharing of experimental
results related to the core-structural materi-
als is needed in order to evaluate the reliabil-
ity of ageing reactor core components. To ad-
dress this issue, the IAEA initiated in 2013 a
Coordinated Research Project (CRP) to collect,
review and assess existing data of the rele-
vant materials properties and operating ex-
perience with research reactors from over 14
Member States. Brazil participates in the CRP
with CCTM contributing data for inclusion in
a Research Reactor Components and Materi-
al Properties Database that can be used by re-
search reactor community to help predict ag-
ing related degradation, and to promote safe
and reliable operation and lifetime extension.