Void denuded zone formation for Fe-15Cr-15Ni steel and PNC316 stainless steel under neutron and electron irradiations

Irradiation-induced void denuded zone (VDZ) formation near grain boundaries was studied to clarify the effects of minor alloying elements on vacancy diffusivity during irradiation in practical PNC316 stainless steel developed for nuclear reactor core materials. The test materials were Fe-15Cr-15Ni steel without additives and PNC316 stainless steel; the latter contains minor alloying elements to improve the void swelling resistance. These steels were neutron-irradiated in the experimental fast reactor JOYO at temperatures from 749 K to 775 K and fast neutron doses of 18-103 dpa, and electron irradiation was also carried out using 1 MeV high voltage electron microscopy at temperatures of 723 K and 773 K and doses up to 14.4 dpa. VDZ formation was analyzed by TEM microstructural observation after irradiation by considering radiation-induced segregation near the grain boundaries. VDZs were formed near random grain boundaries with higher misfit angles in both Fe-15Cr-15Ni and PNC316 steels. The VDZ widths in the PNC316 stainless steel were narrower than those for the Fe-15Cr-15Ni steel for all neutron and electron irradiations. The VDZ width analysis implied that the vacancy diffusivity was reduced in PNC316 stainless steel as a result of interaction of vacancies with minor alloying elements. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.