Monte Carlo analysis of nitrided Al-6061-T6 as an alternative fuel holder tube in subcritical reactors

IF 2.6 3区工程技术 Q1 NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Nuclear Engineering and Technology Pub Date : 2025-06-27 DOI:10.1016/j.net.2025.103775

Diego Medina-Castro , Hector Rene Vega-Carrillo , Antonio Baltazar-Raigosa , Tzinnia Gabriela Soto-Bernal , Régulo López-Callejas , Benjamín Gonzalo Rodríguez-Méndez

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Abstract

The selection of fuel holder tube material in subcritical reactors is critical for operational safety and long-term efficiency. In this study, a Monte Carlo analysis using the MCNP5 code was conducted to evaluate the impact of replacing Al-6061-T6 with its nitrided variant (Al-6061-T6-N), treated via Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII), as a structural material for the fuel holder tubes in a low-power subcritical reactor. The results showed that the surface modification does not induce significant changes in the effective multiplication factor or in the neutron and gamma-ray spectra. Likewise, the Ambient dose equivalents measured at various positions around the reactor remained virtually unchanged. These findings suggest that the PIII technique preserves the essential nuclear interaction properties of the material without compromising radiological safety. However, complementary experimental studies are recommended to validate its long-term performance under real operating conditions and radiation-induced aging.

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氮化Al-6061-T6作为亚临界反应堆替代燃料贮存管的蒙特卡罗分析

亚临界反应堆燃料柜管材料的选择对反应堆的运行安全和长期效率至关重要。在本研究中，使用MCNP5代码进行蒙特卡罗分析，以评估用其氮化版本（Al-6061-T6- n）替代Al-6061-T6作为低功率亚临界反应堆燃料座管结构材料的影响，该结构材料经过等离子体浸泡离子注入（PIII）处理。结果表明，表面改性对有效倍增因子、中子能谱和γ射线能谱没有显著影响。同样，在反应堆周围不同位置测量的环境剂量当量几乎保持不变。这些发现表明，PIII技术保留了材料的基本核相互作用特性，而不影响放射性安全。但建议进行补充实验研究，以验证其在实际操作条件和辐射老化下的长期性能。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nuclear Engineering and Technology 工程技术-核科学技术

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

7.40%

发文量

431

审稿时长

3.5 months

期刊介绍： Nuclear Engineering and Technology (NET), an international journal of the Korean Nuclear Society (KNS), publishes peer-reviewed papers on original research, ideas and developments in all areas of the field of nuclear science and technology. NET bimonthly publishes original articles, reviews, and technical notes. The journal is listed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) of Thomson Reuters. NET covers all fields for peaceful utilization of nuclear energy and radiation as follows: 1) Reactor Physics 2) Thermal Hydraulics 3) Nuclear Safety 4) Nuclear I&C 5) Nuclear Physics, Fusion, and Laser Technology 6) Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Radioactive Waste Management 7) Nuclear Fuel and Reactor Materials 8) Radiation Application 9) Radiation Protection 10) Nuclear Structural Analysis and Plant Management & Maintenance 11) Nuclear Policy, Economics, and Human Resource Development