Kory D. Linton

Assembly and Delivery of Rabbit Capsules for Irradiation of Reinforced Radiation Resistant SiC-SiC Composites in the High Flux Isotope Reactor

The development of reinforced radiation resistant composites presents a critical challenge for invessel component application in advanced high temperature reactors. In its pursuit of this, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) is interested in developing a silicon carbide (SiC)-based ceramic matrix composite (CMC) with improved thermal conductivity in a high neutron radiation environment. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is supporting research efforts to develop Advanced Reactor Technology. Ultimately, the results of this project will determine the viability of using SiC matrix composites in hot structures in advanced high temperature reactors. The first objective of this project is to irradiate torsion and bend bar specimens in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and develop an initial data set to evaluate the evolution of composite mechanical strength, dimensional changes, and thermal conductivity. This report briefly describes the irradiation experiment design concepts, summarizes the irradiation test matrix, and reports on the successful delivery of three rabbit capsules to the HFIR. Rabbits of both torsion and bend bar configurations have been assembled, welded, evaluated, and delivered to the HFIR along with a complete quality assurance fabrication package.