Use of the SPIRAL 2 facility for material irradiations with 14 MeV energy neutrons

The primary goal of an irradiation facility for fusion applications will be to generate a material irradiation database for the design, construction, licensing and safe operation of a fusion demonstration power station (e.g., DEMO). This will be achieved through testing and qualifying material performance under neutron irradiation that simulates service up to the full lifetime anticipated in the power plant. Preliminary investigations of 14 MeV neutron effects on different kinds of fusion material could be assessed by the SPIRAL 2 Project at GANIL (Caen, France), aiming at rare isotope beams production for nuclear physics research with first beams expected by 2009. In SPIRAL 2, a deuteron beam of 5 mA and 40 MeV interacts with a rotating carbon disk producing high-energy neutrons (in the range between 1 and 40 MeV) via C (d, xn) reactions. Then, the facility could be used for 3–4 months y−1 for material irradiation purposes. This would correspond to damage rates in the order of 1–2 dpa y−1 (in Fe) in a volume of ∼10 cm3. Therefore, the use of miniaturized specimens will be essential in order to effectively utilize the available irradiation volume in SPIRAL 2. Sample package irradiation temperature would be in the range of 250–1000 °C. The irradiation level of 1–2 dpa y−1 with 14 MeV neutrons (average energy) may be interesting for micro-structural and metallurgical investigations (e.g., mini-traction, small punch tests, etc.) and possibly for the understanding of specimen size/geometric effects of critical material properties. Due to the small test cell volume, sample in situ experiments are not foreseen. However, sample packages would be, if required, available each month after transfer in a special hot cell on-site.