4: Materials for Nuclear Power Generation
- Last updated
- Nov 26, 2020
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Learning Objectives
On completion of this TLP you should:
- understand the basic physics behind nuclear fission;
- describe the common features of nuclear reactors;
- understand the various neutron cross-sections;
- explain the mechanisms of radiation damage, and its consequences, particularly for structural steels;
- understand the material problems associated with extreme conditions, in particular large radiation fluxes;
- explain the materials selection for the components at the heart of a nuclear reactor:
- moderators;
- control rods;
- cladding.
Before you start
Readers should be familiar with the concept of a crystal lattice, dislocations, and diffusion. A familiarity with the basics of mechanical behaviour and corrosion of materials would also be useful.
Readers should be familiar with standard nuclear terminology: the definitions of isotope and nuclide, the composition of nuclei, the definitions of atomic number and mass number.
A note on units: throughout this TLP the unit used for energy is the electron volt , the energy associated with one electronic charge (1.619 × 10−19 C) subjected to a potential difference of 1 V, i.e. 1 eV ≈ 1.619 × 10−19 J
