Page 33 - PR 2014 2016 10 Materials and Nanotechnology

Materials and Nanotechnology | Progress Report 309

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

Today, more than 50% of operating research re-
actors (RR) are over 45 years old, and more than
30% are over 50 years of operation. Continued
safe and efficient operation depends amongst
others on the predictability of structural ma-
terials behaviour of major components such
as reactor vessel and core support structures,
many of which are difficult to replace. Manage-
ment of the ageing process requires predictions
of the behaviour of materials subjected to irra-
diation. In many instances, data for the radia-
tion-induced changes of research reactor core
materials resulting from exposure to very high
neutron fluences are not generally available be-
cause the materials and operating conditions
are diverse and specific. Therefore, effective
sharing of experimental results related to the
core-structural materials is needed in order to
evaluate the reliability of ageing reactor core
components. To address this issue, the IAEA
initiated in 2013 a Coordinated Research Proj-
ect (CRP) to collect, review and assess existing
data of the relevant materials properties and
operating experience 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 Material Properties Database that can
be used by research reactor community to
help predict aging related degradation, and
to promote safe and reliable operation and
lifetime extension.