Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

The peer-reviewed scientific and technology journal. ISSN: 0204-3327

Experience in Materials Science Performance Assessment of the Structural, Absorption and Fuel Materials of Sodium-Cooled Reactors

9/10/2025 2025 - #03 Nuclear materials

Kinev E.A. Evseev M.V. Averin S.A. Portnykh I.A. Barybyn A.V. Glushkova N.V.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2025.3.11

UDC: 621.039.531

Materials science studies of structural, absorbing and fuel materials are the practical basis for assessing the current state, predicting the operability and verifying the calculation codes for the behavior of critical elements of nuclear reactors. For 42 years, Joint-Stock Company ‘Institute of Reactor Materials’ has been an active participant in industry programs for the development of a promising area of domestic energy based on sodium fast neutron reactors. Over the past period, invaluable experience in practical and analytical studies of highly active reactor materials has been acquired and is constantly being developed, in particular, BN-350, IBR-2 and BN-600 fuel rods, covers, absorbing elements, photoneutron sources, BN-600 simulator package, high-dose materials science assemblies with promising structural materials. Mock-up studies of fuel in the ‘PRORYV’ direction, irradiated to 3.5% FIFA in our own IVV-2M research reactor, have been carried out. At present, advance preparation of protective chambers for materials science studies of replaceable elements of the active zone of the new generation BN-800 and BN-1200 reactors is underway.

References

  1. Barsanov V.I., Golovachev M.G., Dyakov A.A., Zelenov V.I., Zlokazov S.B., Karpechko S.G., Kozlov A.V., Menkin L.I., Perekhozhev V.I., Pivovarov V.E., Sinelnikov L.P. Atomic Materials Science Center of SF NIKIET and its Experimental and Methodological Capabilities. VANT. Series: Nuclear Engineering and Technology. 1992;4:3–19 (in Russian).
  2. Kinev E.A. Structure of pellet oxide fuel and its corrosive effect on the fuel cladding of the BN-600 reactor. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2011;1:169–176. URL: https://static.nuclear-power-engineering.ru/journals/2011/01.pdf (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  3. Averin E.B., Kostousov I.M., Serovikova E.V., Shcherbakov E.N. Methods and devices for studying the physical and mechanical properties of materials. VANT. Series: Nuclear Engineering and Technology. 1992;3:43–51 (in Russian).
  4. Asiptsov O.I., Kozlov A.V., Shcherbakov E.N., Ershova O.V. Radiation-thermal changes in thermal expansion of structural steel BN-600. Proc. of the VII Russian conf. on reactor materials science. Dimitrovgrad, FSUE ‘SSC RF NIIAR’, 2003, v. 2, part 3, pp. 96–103 (in Russian).
  5. Sinelnikov L.P., Averin S.A., Kozlov A.V., Shikhalev V.S., Barsanova S.V., Evseev M.V., Kinev E.A., Lyutikova M.S., Tsygvintsev V.A., Glushkova N.V., Panchenko V.L., Pastukhov A.V., Barybin A.V. Equipment and Methods of Post-Reactor Studies of Materials in a Block of Shielded Enclosures at Institute of Reactor Materials. Atomic Energy. 2017;121:240–248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-017-0191-6
  6. Scientific annual report of JSC Institute of Nuclear Materials (report on the main research work carried out in 2021). Zarechny, JSC INM, 2022, 91 p. URL: http://www.irm-atom.ru/documents/nauchnyj-godovoj-otchet-2021 (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  7. Scientific annual report of JSC ‘Institute of Nuclear Materials’ (report on the main research work performed in 2023). Zarechny, JSC ‘INM’, 2024, 102 p. URL: http://www.irm-atom.ru/documents/nauchnyj-godovoj-otchet-2023 (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  8. Kinev E.A., Tsygvintsev V.A. Analysis of the structure, gas evolution and crystal lattice parameter of nuclear fuel. Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants. 2018;3:138–146. URL: https://vant.ippe.ru/images/pdf/2018/3-13.pdf (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  9. Scientific annual report of JSC ‘Institute of Nuclear Materials’ (report on the main research work performed in 2022). Zarechny, JSC ‘INM’, 2023, 80 p. URL: http://www.irm-atom.ru/documents/nauchnyj-godovoj-otchet-2022 (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  10. Kinev E.A., Barybin A.V., Panchenko V.L., Tsygvintsev V.A. Methods of materials science studies of nitride nuclear fuel. VANT. Series: Materials Science and New Materials. 2021;3(109):83–93 (in Russian).
  11. Kinev E.A., Yarkov V.Yu., Isinbayev A.R., Beltyukov I.L., Tarasov B.A., Ivanov A.Yu. Swelling of nitride fuel under different experimental irradiation temperatures at the early burnout stages. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2024;1:87–95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.1.07 (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  12. Kinev E.A. The working capacity analysis of boron carbide after two-year operation as an emergency protection material of the fast reactor. IAEA. Proc. of International Conf. FR-23. CN-291-66.
  13. Kinev E.A., Pastukhov V.I., Yarkov V.Yu., Plaksin O.A., Chesnokov E.A. Study of the interaction of VN-2AE alloy with antimony before and after reactor irradiation. Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants. 2024;2:205–211. URL: https://vant.ippe.ru/images/pdf/2024/issue2024-2-205-211.pdf (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).
  14. Kinev E.A., Shcherbakov E.N., Evseev M.V. State of EI-847 steel after long-term neutron irradiation in sodium. VANT. Series: Materials Science and New Materials. 2018;5(96):42–47 (in Russian).
  15. Kryukov A.N., Vasiliev B.A., Farakshin M.R. Status and development prospects of fuel for BN reactors. VANT. Series: Materials Science and New Materials. 2023;5(121):173–181. URL: https://vniinm.tvel.ru/press-center/jurnal-vant/ (accessed Mar.20, 2025) (in Russian).

materials science research fuel element absorption element neutron source cladding fuel boron carbide antimony core

Link for citing the article: Kinev E.A., Evseev M.V., Averin S.A., Portnykh I.A., Barybyn A.V., Glushkova N.V. Experience in Materials Science Performance Assessment of the Structural, Absorption and Fuel Materials of Sodium-Cooled Reactors. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2025, no. 3, pp. 153-168; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2025.3.11 (in Russian).

Open PDF file