Radiation-Induced Transformation of Hafnium Composition

The safety and efficiency of nuclear reactors largely depend on the monitoring and control of nuclear radiation. Due to the unique nuclear-physical characteristics, Hf is one of the most promising materials for the manufacturing of the control rods and the emitters of neutron detectors. It is proposed to use the Compton neutron detector with the emitter made of Hf in the In-core Instrumentation System (ICIS) for monitoring the neutron field. The main advantages of such a detector in comparison the conventional β-emission sensors are the possibility of reaching of a higher cumulative radiation dose and the absence of signal delays. The response time of the detection is extremely important when a nuclear reactor is operating near its critical operational parameters. Taking Hf as an example, the general principles for calculating the chains of materials transformation under neutron irradiation are reported. The influence of 179m1Hf on the Hf composition changing dynamics and the process of transmutants’ (Ta, W) generation were determined. The effect of these processes on the absorbing properties of Hf, which inevitably predetermine the lifetime of the detector and its ability to generate a signal, is estimated.