Current post irradiation examination techniques at the JMTR Hot laboratory

Shibata, Akira ; Kato, Yoshiaki; Oishi, Makoto; Taguchi, Taketoshi ; Ito, Masayasu ; Yonekawa, Minoru ; Kawamata, Kazuo

The JMTR stopped its operation in 2006 for refurbishment. The reactor facilities have been refurbished from 2007. After refurbishment, JMTR Hot laboratory is expected to perform various post irradiation examinations. In this report, installations of experimental apparatuses and recent experimental method are introduced. (1) A nano-indenter with radius spherical indenter. Inverse analysis using FEM could presume material constants from load-depth curve of indentation. Mechanical properties of oxide layer of zirconium alloy and irradiated stainless steel will be analyzed. (2) Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). TEM is capable of imaging at a significantly higher resolution than light microscopes or normal SEM. JAEA installed a TEM apparatus (JEOL JEM-2800) in JMTR Hot laboratory. The maximum magnification is 150,000,000 times. It can be operated from a remote location using a computer network. This contributes to the convenience of remote researchers and reducing the amount of exposure.