Three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating research and development of novel nuclear reactor material

Abstract

The invention discloses a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating research and development of a novel nuclear reactor material, and the device comprises an accelerator which is used for generating a heavy ion beam line; the hydrogen ion implanter is used for generating hydrogen ion beams; the helium ion implanter is used for generating helium ion beams; the irradiation target chamber is used for receiving beam lines generated by the accelerator, the hydrogen ion implanter and the helium ion implanter; the hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line are located on the two sides of the heavy ion beam line respectively. According to the three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the research and development of the novel nuclear reactor material, disclosed by the invention, the deviation of the material between the actual conditions of a simulation experiment and a reactor is reduced, and the influence of neutral particles in a simulation experiment irradiation target chamber on the simulation experiment is reduced, so that the detection of the simulation experiment is more accurate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the research and development of new nuclear reactor materials, belonging to the technical field of irradiation equipment. Background Art

[0002] Materials in advanced nuclear energy systems will face extreme conditions such as high temperature, high neutron flux, and liquid metal corrosion. The degenerative behavior of materials in reactors greatly restricts the safety and economy of new nuclear energy systems. For the research and development of new nuclear energy materials, irradiation testing is essential before they can be safely used in nuclear energy systems.

[0003] However, the existing neutron irradiation facilities used for irradiation testing require extremely long time for neutron irradiation and are accompanied by long radioactivity. Neutron irradiation testing is usually accompanied by long cycles lasting several years and is very expensive, making it difficult to neutron irradiate every new material.

[0004] In addition, in new nuclear energy systems, the service environment, including the neutron spectrum, is very different from that of existing nuclear reactor systems. When high-energy fast neutrons bombard reactor materials, in addition to generating a large amount of ex-situ damage in the material, gas atoms such as hydrogen and helium will also be generated. The gas atoms will synergize with the ex-situ damage to aggravate the evolution of defects caused by irradiation, thereby accelerating the degradation of the macroscopic properties of the material. For conventional single-beam ion irradiation, it is impossible to take into account the ex-situ damage caused by high-energy neutron irradiation and the synergistic effect of transmutation elements such as hydrogen and helium at the same time. The commonly used method is to inject hydrogen and helium elements first and then irradiate with high-energy heavy ions through sequential ion irradiation. However, this process cannot achieve the simultaneous introduction of hydrogen, helium and ex-situ damage during the reactor neutron irradiation process, and the results will deviate from the actual situation. At the same time, the neutron spectrum of the existing material testing reactor is fixed, and it cannot involve a variety of new nuclear energy systems.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more in-depth research on existing ion irradiation devices to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to overcome the above problems, the inventors have conducted in-depth research and proposed a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials, comprising:

[0007] accelerators for heavy ion beamlines,

[0008] Hydrogen ion implanter, used to produce hydrogen ion beam line,

[0009] Helium ion implanter, used to produce helium ion beam line,

[0010] Irradiation target room, used to receive beam lines generated by accelerator, hydrogen ion implanter and helium ion implanter;

[0011] The hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line are respectively located on both sides of the heavy ion beam line.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the angle between the hydrogen ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line is 15-25°; the angle between the helium ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line is 15-25°.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, a quadrupole lens and a scanning electrode plate are arranged between the accelerator and the irradiation target chamber.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, a sample stage is provided in the irradiation target chamber, and a heater is provided on the sample stage.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the sample stage is a six-degree-of-freedom sample stage.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, a Faraday cup is arranged in the irradiation target chamber.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, there are three Faraday cups, which are respectively arranged on the ion beam line, the hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, a cold trap is provided in the irradiation target chamber.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, a plasma cleaner is also provided in the irradiation target chamber.

[0020] The present invention also discloses an ion irradiation simulation method, which is performed using the above-mentioned three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials, and includes the following steps:

[0021] S1. Place the test sample on the sample stage of the irradiation target chamber, and determine the beam current size of the heavy ion beam line, hydrogen ion beam line and helium ion beam line according to the application scenario;

[0022] S2, evacuate the irradiation target chamber;

[0023] S3, turning on the plasma cleaning instrument to perform plasma cleaning on the test sample and the irradiation target chamber;

[0024] S4, turn off the plasma cleaning instrument and turn on the cold trap;

[0025] S5, turning on the accelerator, the hydrogen ion implanter, and the helium ion implanter, and performing irradiation according to the determined beam current size until the total dose described in the irradiation is reached;

[0026] S6. Turn off the accelerator, hydrogen ion implanter, helium ion implanter and cold trap.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the present invention include:

[0028] (1) Reduce the deviation between the material simulation experiment and the actual situation in the reactor;

[0029] (2) The impact of neutral particles in the target room of the simulation experiment on the simulation experiment was reduced;

[0030] (3) Effectively reduce the content of carbon and other elements in the target chamber and significantly improve the irradiation environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the overall structure of a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0032] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure in the irradiation target chamber of a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0033] Figure 3 The sample surface detection results in Example 1 are shown;

[0034] Figure 4 The surface detection results of the samples in Comparative Example 1 are shown.

[0035] Explanation of symbols:

[0036] 1- Accelerator;

[0037] 2- Hydrogen ion implanter;

[0038] 3-Helium ion implanter;

[0039] 4- irradiation target room;

[0040] 41- sample stage;

[0041] 42-Faraday cup;

[0042] 43-cold trap;

[0043] 5-Quadrupole lens;

[0044] 6- Scan the plates. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The present invention will be further described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Through these descriptions, the characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more clear and distinct.

[0046] The word "exemplary" is used exclusively herein to mean "serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Although various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless otherwise noted.

[0047] According to the present invention, a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials is provided. Figure 1 As shown, including:

[0048] Accelerator 1, used to generate heavy ion beam lines,

[0049] Hydrogen ion implanter 2, used to generate hydrogen ion beam line,

[0050] Helium ion implanter 3, used to generate helium ion beam line,

[0051] The irradiation target chamber 4 is used to receive the beam lines generated by the accelerator 1, the hydrogen ion implanter 2 and the helium ion implanter 3;

[0052] The hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line are respectively located on both sides of the heavy ion beam line.

[0053] In the present invention, the heavy ion beam generated by the accelerator is used to simulate the ex-situ damage caused by the material during neutron irradiation. Furthermore, by irradiating the material simultaneously with the hydrogen ion beam line, the helium ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line, the ex-situ damage caused by high-energy neutron irradiation and the synergistic effect of transmutation elements such as hydrogen and helium can be effectively simulated, thereby improving the simulation accuracy.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the angle between the hydrogen ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line is 15-25°, such as 20°, and the angle between the helium ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line is 15-25°, such as 20°.

[0055] If the angle is too small, the beam line pipeline space will be crowded, which will affect the diameter of the beam line. If the angle is too large, it will affect the depth of ion irradiation.

[0056] In the present invention, the specific model of the accelerator is not limited, and those skilled in the art can freely choose according to actual needs.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, the accelerator is a tandem accelerator, comprising a charge exchanger and a cesium sputtering negative ion source, so as to generate high-energy ions.

[0058] In the present invention, there is no limitation on the specific model or structure of the hydrogen ion implanter and the helium ion implanter, as long as they can generate hydrogen ion beam lines and helium ion beam lines. Preferably, the hydrogen ion implanter and the helium ion implanter use a cold cathode Penning ion source.

[0059] Preferably, the accelerator generates an ion beam with a current intensity of 3×10 10 —3×10 12 ions / cm 2 ·s, the hydrogen ion implanter produces an ion beam with a current intensity of 3×10 9 —1×10 13 ions / cm 2 ·s, the helium ion implanter produces an ion beam with a current intensity of 3×10 9 —5×10 13 ions / cm 2 ·s.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, a quadrupole lens 5 and a scanning electrode plate 6 are provided between the accelerator 1 and the irradiation target chamber 4 to improve the uniformity of the ion beam cross section.

[0061] The quadrupole lens is used to focus the heavy ion beam.

[0062] The scanning electrode plate 6 includes two groups of parallel electrode plates, one group of electrode plates is arranged on the upper and lower sides of the heavy ion beam line, and the other group of electrode plates is arranged on the left and right sides of the heavy ion beam line. By applying a triangular wave scanning signal to the electrode plates, a changing electric field is generated between the electromagnetic plates, so that the focused heavy ions can be evenly dispersed in the circular cross-section of the beam line.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment, a defocusing lens is provided between the hydrogen ion implanter 2 and the irradiation target chamber 4 so that the hydrogen ions can be evenly dispersed in the circular cross section of the beam line;

[0064] In a preferred embodiment, a defocusing lens is provided between the helium ion implanter 3 and the irradiation target chamber 4 so that the helium ions can be evenly dispersed in the circular cross section of the beam line.

[0065] According to the present invention, a sample stage 41 is provided in the irradiation target chamber 4. Figure 2 As shown, it is used to support the test sample so that the heavy ion beam line, the hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line can irradiate the test sample at the same time.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment, the sample stage is a six-degree-of-freedom sample stage, which is convenient for adjusting the position of the test sample and enables the heavy ion beam line, the hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line to irradiate the test sample simultaneously.

[0067] In the present invention, the specific structure of the sample stage is not limited, and those skilled in the art can freely set it according to experience, as long as the above functions can be achieved.

[0068] In a preferred embodiment, a heater is provided on the sample stage for heating the test sample.

[0069] By setting a heater to heat the test sample, the actual environment of the material in the nuclear reactor can be better simulated.

[0070] More preferably, the maximum heating temperature of the heater is not less than 950 degrees Celsius.

[0071] More preferably, the heating temperature of the heater is adjustable, so as to realize simulation experiments under different conditions.

[0072] In the present invention, the specific structure and material of the heater are not limited, and those skilled in the art can freely choose according to actual needs.

[0073] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a Faraday cup 42 is provided in the irradiation target chamber 4 for measuring the beam intensity, so as to better control the experimental conditions and collect the experimental data.

[0074] More preferably, there are three Faraday cups, which are respectively arranged on the ion beam line, the hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line, and the beam intensities on the three beam lines are measured simultaneously, thereby saving measurement time and realizing real-time monitoring of the beam intensity.

[0075] The study found that ions carry electric charges, and neutral particles containing elements such as carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) in a vacuum environment will be carried into the material by the ion beam, ultimately affecting the research results.

[0076] In a preferred embodiment, a cold trap 43 is provided in the irradiation target chamber, through which small clusters of gas molecules in the irradiation target chamber are condensed and adsorbed before and during the simulation, thereby greatly reducing the content of oxygen and carbon elements in the target chamber and reducing the vacuum degree.

[0077] Furthermore, the cold trap can also realize low-temperature ion irradiation experiments, thereby increasing the experimental range of the device.

[0078] For ease of description, in the present invention, the direction of the test sample toward the beam line is regarded as the front. Preferably, the cold trap is arranged at the front end of the test sample to effectively absorb small clusters of gas molecules existing near the sample surface during irradiation.

[0079] Preferably, the effective area of ​​the cold trap is greater than 500 cm 2 , more preferably greater than 700cm 2 , thereby ensuring the adsorption effect on small clusters of gas molecules.

[0080] Preferably, the cold trap temperature is lower than 200K, more preferably lower than 100K, such as 77K, so as to obtain the best adsorption effect.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, a plasma cleaner is further provided in the irradiation target chamber to perform plasma cleaning on the inner space of the irradiation target chamber before irradiation simulation, thereby further reducing the content of elements such as carbon in the target chamber and significantly improving the irradiation environment.

[0082] In the present invention, the specific model of the plasma cleaning instrument is not limited, and those skilled in the art can freely choose it according to actual needs. For example, the RPS50EM-T model produced by Supu Instrument (Taicang) Co., Ltd. is used.

[0083] In a preferred embodiment, a limited beam aperture is provided in the irradiation target chamber 4 to constrain the beam line entering the irradiation target chamber 4 and intercept a relatively uniform portion of the central area within the beam spot cross section, so as to determine the beam spot area irradiated onto the sample stage, and determine the irradiation beam current intensity by measuring the beam current intensity.

[0084] The present invention also discloses an ion irradiation simulation method, which is performed using the above three-beam ion irradiation device and includes the following steps:

[0085] S1. Place the test sample on the sample stage of the irradiation target chamber, and determine the beam current size of the heavy ion beam line, hydrogen ion beam line and helium ion beam line according to the application scenario;

[0086] S2, evacuate the irradiation target chamber;

[0087] S3, turning on the plasma cleaning instrument to perform plasma cleaning on the test sample and the irradiation target chamber;

[0088] S4, turn off the plasma cleaning instrument and turn on the cold trap;

[0089] S5, turning on the accelerator, the hydrogen ion implanter, and the helium ion implanter, and performing irradiation according to the determined beam current size until the total dose described in the irradiation is reached;

[0090] S6. Turn off the accelerator, hydrogen ion implanter, helium ion implanter and cold trap.

[0091] In S1, the test temperature, the amount of off-site damage and the hydrogen and helium concentration are determined according to the actual application scenario of the test sample. The specific determination method is not limited in the present invention and can be determined by those skilled in the art based on experience.

[0092] In S2, preferably, the vacuum degree in the irradiation target chamber is less than 10 -7 torr.

[0093] In S3, preferably, the plasma cleaning is continued for 60 minutes or more, thereby effectively reducing the content of macromolecular hydrocarbons inside the cavity.

[0094] In S4, the heater is also turned on to make the test sample reach the test temperature, and the heating is continued during the irradiation process to maintain the temperature of the test sample.

[0095] In S5, the temperature of the cold trap is kept constant, and the small cluster gas is continuously adsorbed.

[0096] Furthermore, the total dose required for irradiation is inversely calculated using the simulation results of the SRIM program, and the beam size is determined based on the designed dose rate.

[0097] Furthermore, in S5, the ion beam intensity is continuously measured to monitor the stability of the irradiation process and the total amount of irradiation.

[0098] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to reorder, add or delete steps. For example, the steps described in the disclosure of the present invention can be performed in parallel, sequentially or in different orders, as long as the desired results of the technical solution disclosed in the present invention can be achieved, and this document does not limit this.

[0099] Example

[0100] Experimental Example 1

[0101] The irradiation experiment was carried out using a three-beam ion irradiation device, which included an accelerator, a hydrogen ion implanter, a helium ion implanter and an irradiation target chamber. The accelerator was a 2×1.7MV tandem accelerator 5SDH-2; the extraction energy of the hydrogen ion implanter was 10-50kV, the extraction energy of the helium ion implanter was 10-90kV, and a cold cathode Penning ion source was used.

[0102] A quadrupole lens and a scanning electrode plate are arranged between the accelerator and the irradiation target chamber; a defocusing lens is arranged between the hydrogen ion implanter and the irradiation target chamber; a defocusing lens is arranged between the helium ion implanter and the irradiation target chamber; a sample stage, three Faraday cups, a cold trap and a plasma cleaner are arranged in the irradiation target chamber, and a heater is arranged on the sample stage.

[0103] FeCrNi alloy was used as the test sample in the experiment. The irradiation temperature was set at 600°C. The total heating and irradiation time was 300 min. The irradiation beam current was 500 nA of 6 MeV gold ions. The vacuum was controlled at 5×10 -4 Pa.

[0104] After the experiment, the surface of the sample was tested using a scanning electron microscope. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3(c) is the detection result at 10μm scale. Figure 3 (d) is the detection result at 2μm scale.

[0105] Comparative Example 1

[0106] The same experiment as in Example 1 was carried out, except that no cold trap and plasma cleaning apparatus were set up. After the experiment, the surface of the sample was detected using a scanning electron microscope. The results are as follows: Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 (a) is the detection result at 10μm scale. Figure 4 (b) is the detection result at 2μm scale.

[0107] contrast Figure 3 and Figure 4 It can be clearly seen that a large amount of precipitation phases are formed on the surface of the test sample without plasma cleaning and cold trap, while the surface of the sample with plasma cleaning and liquid nitrogen cold trap is still flat without obvious precipitation phase formation. This shows that the introduction of plasma cleaning and liquid nitrogen cold trap in the irradiation target chamber can greatly improve the irradiation environment and is of great help to the post-processing of irradiated samples.

[0108] The present invention has been described above in conjunction with preferred embodiments, but these embodiments are only exemplary and serve only as an illustration. On this basis, the present invention may be subjected to a variety of substitutions and improvements, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials, characterized in that: include: accelerators for heavy ion beamlines, Hydrogen ion implanter, used to produce hydrogen ion beam line, Helium ion implanter, used to produce helium ion beam line, Irradiation target room, used to receive beam lines generated by accelerator, hydrogen ion implanter and helium ion implanter; The hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line are respectively located on both sides of the heavy ion beam line.

2. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the hydrogen ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line is 15-25°; The angle between the helium ion beam line and the heavy ion beam line is 15-25°.

3. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: A quadrupole lens and a scanning electrode plate are arranged between the accelerator and the irradiation target chamber.

4. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sample stage is arranged in the irradiation target chamber, and a heater is arranged on the sample stage.

5. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sample stage is a six-degree-of-freedom sample stage.

6. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: A Faraday cup is arranged in the irradiation target chamber.

7. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 6, characterized in that: There are three Faraday cups, which are respectively arranged on the ion beam line, the hydrogen ion beam line and the helium ion beam line.

8. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cold trap is arranged in the irradiation target chamber.

9. The three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plasma cleaning device is also provided in the irradiation target chamber.

10. An ion irradiation simulation method, using a three-beam ion irradiation device for simulating the development of new nuclear reactor materials as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Place the test sample on the sample stage of the irradiation target chamber, and determine the beam current size of the heavy ion beam line, hydrogen ion beam line and helium ion beam line according to the application scenario; S2, evacuate the irradiation target chamber; S3, turning on the plasma cleaning instrument to perform plasma cleaning on the test sample and the irradiation target chamber; S4, turn off the plasma cleaning instrument and turn on the cold trap; S5, turning on the accelerator, the hydrogen ion implanter, and the helium ion implanter, and performing irradiation according to the determined beam current size until the total dose described in the irradiation is reached; S6. Turn off the accelerator, hydrogen ion implanter, helium ion implanter and cold trap.

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