Doping Uniformity Improvement of Emitter Cladding in NPP Electricity Generating Channels

• Published in: Atomic energy (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 115; no. 4; pp. 284 - 287
• Main Authors: Kiselev, D. S., Smirnov, V. P., Yastrebkov, A. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.02.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alloys; Anisotropy; Atomic energy; Channels; Cladding; Crystals; Decomposition; Deformation; Doping; Electric power generation; Electric power-plants; Electricity; Electricity distribution; Electricity generation; Emittance; Fission products; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; High temperature; Metals; Nuclear accidents & safety; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Physics; Nuclear power generation; Nuclear power plants; Nuclear reactors; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Power plants; Scientific and Technical Communications; Studies; Thermal conductivity; Transition temperatures; Variability; Russia; Reaction Apparatus; Dewar Vessel; Fuel Kernel; Deposition Regime; Niobium
• ISSN: 1063-4258; 1573-8205
• DOI: 10.1007/s10512-014-9784-5

Nuclear power plants based on thermionic converter reactors are some of the most efficient and promising sources of electricity for use in space. The emitter cladding must satisfy the most stringent requirements: working temperature 1800C, thermionic efficiency, compatibility with nuclear fuel, high resistance to the forces exerted by the fuel and gaseous fission products and service life 310 years. These requirements are satisfied best by single crystals of refractory metals. Because there are no large-angle grain boundaries at high working temperatures and high frequencies, such metals have advantages over conventional refractory metals with polycrystalline structure: low brittle-plastic transition temperature, higher thermal conductivity, absence of recrystallization and grain-boundary fracture at high temperature, low diffusion permeability and high compatibility with fuel, structural stability and temporal stability of properties at temperatures close to the melting temperature, anisotropy of mechanical properties and electronic work function and high heat-resistance and strengthening stability of alloys.