Comparison of helium bubble formation in F82H, ODS, SIMP and T91 steels irradiated by Fe and He ions simultaneously*

Abstract

Ferritic-martensitic steels and ODS steels are attractive candidates for structural materials in advanced nuclear-power systems due to their good swelling resistance. Four kinds of steels, F82H, 15Cr-ODS, SIMP and T91, are investigated in this study. We take 6.4 MeV Fe3+ ions and energy-degraded 1.0 MeV He+ ions in the irradiation of these materials to 5 dpa and 60 appm He/dpa, 200 appm He/dpa and 600 appm He/dpa at 300 °C and 450 °C, respectively. The bubble formation and distribution are investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Formation and distribution of the bubbles in the four investigated steels are compared. The influence of irradiation temperature and helium injection ratio on bubble formation is discussed. It is found that there appears to be homogenously distributed bubbles at 300 °C irradiation while heterogeneously distributed bubbles at 450 °C irradiation.