CONF-8308130 (DE84001745) January 1984 Distribution Category UC-25 DE04 001745 REFRACTORY ALLOY TECHNOLOGY FOR SPACE NUCLEAR POWER APPLICATIONS Proceedings of a symposium held at Oak Ridge, Tennessee August 10-11,1983 Sponsored by SP-100 Project Office Edited by R. H. Cooper, Jr. E. E. Hoffman January 1984 Published by Technical Information Center Office of Scientific and Technical Information United States Department of Energy Conference Organization GENERAL CHAIRMAN W. 0. Harms, Oak Ridge National Laboratory PROGRAM ORGANIZERS AND TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMEN R H. Cooper, Jr., Oak Ridge National Laboratory E. E. Hoffman, U. S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations ADVISORY COMMITTEES Compatibility R L. Dairies, NASA Lewis Research Center N. J. Hoffman, Rockwell International, Energy Technology Engineering Center P. Roy, General Electric Company. Advanced Reactor Systems Department S. A. Shiels, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Advanced Energy Systems Division Processing and Production G. C. Bodine, Combustion Engineering, Inc. R L. Heestand, Oak Ridge National Laboratory R E. McDonald, Consultant R A. Perkins, Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Inc., Palo Alto Research Laboratory W. E. Ray, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Advance 1 Energy Systems Division Welding and Component Fabrication E. A. Franco-Ferreira, Consultant Services W. C. Hagel, Climax Molybdenum Company of Michigan T. A. Moss, Rockwell International, Energy Systems GiOup G. M. Slaughter, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Metals and Ceramics Division Mechanical and Physical Properties R L. Amman, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Advanced Energy Systems Division W. C. Hagel, Climax Molybdenum Company of Michigan H. E. McCoy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Effects of Irradiation M. L. Bleiberg, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Advanced Energy Systems Division J. W. Davis, McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company East R E. Gold, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Advanced Energy System? Division /. Moteff, University of Cincinnati CONFERENCE STAFF Mary Helen Owens, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Lyn Elrod, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Bonnie Reesor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory CONF-8303130 (DE84001745) January 1984 Distribution Category UC-25 Refractory Alloy Technology for Space Nuclear Power Applications ABOUT THE TECHNICAL INFORMATION CENTER ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION The Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Early in 1983 it became apparent to staff members at the Technical Information Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the DOE Oak Ridge has been the national center for scientific and technical information for the Department of Energy (DOE) and its Operations Office thai, because of the renewed interest in predecessor agencies since 1946. In developing and manag- high-performance space nuclear power systems, a mecha- ing DOE's technical information program, the Center nism was needed to make the results of earlier research places under bibliographic control not only DOE- originated information but also worldwide literature on on candidate refractory alloys for these systems available scientific and technical advances in the energy field and to the SP-100 project. Because of the rapid termination of announces the source and availability of this information. work on these alloys for space nuclear applications in Whereas the literature of science is emphasized, coverage is extended to DOE programmatic, socioeconomic, envi- 1972 and 1973, much of the valuable data on these ronmental, legislative/regulatory, energy analysis, and materials was only marginally documented. In many cases policy-related areas. To accomplish this mission, the the progress or topical reports received very limited distri- Ginter builds and maintain:, computerized energy- iRiormation data bases and disseminates this information bution. During the period from 1973 to 1983 many of the via computerized retrieval systems and announcement pub- refractory alloy technologists who were involved in the lications such as abstracting journals, bibliographies, and systems development efforts of the 1960s have retired or update journals. Direct access to the Center s most com- preiensive data base, the Energy Data Base, is available changed their specialty areas. to the public through commercial on-line bibliographic The conclusion was made that a publication comprised retr eval systems. The Energy Data Base and many of the Csn.er's energy-related data bases are available to DOE of review papers by experts familiar with the work done offices and contractors and to other government agencies mostly during the 1960s and including more recent work via 3OE/RECON, the Department's on-line information was needed. The focus of the plan was to achieve two retrieval system. The Center has developed ard maintains systens to record and communicate energy-related goals. resea'ch-in-progress information, to maintain a register of • To review and document- the status of refractory DOE public communications publications, to track ••eseai ch report deliverables from DOE contractors, and to alloy technology for structural and fuel-cladding test end make available DOE-funded computer software applications in space nuclear power systems. programs with scientific and management applications. • To identify and document the refractory alloy The Center also maintains a full-scale publishing capabil- ity to serve special publication needs of the Department. research and development needs for the SP-100 Pro- To e'fectively manage DOE's technical information gram in both the short and the long term. resources, the Center's program is one of continual devel- opmen and evaluation of new information products, sys- The technical program staff and the editors of these tems, and technologies. proceedings wish to thank the many individuals who con- tributed to the success of the symposium and to the prep- UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY aration of these proceedings. We sincerely hope that the Donald Paul Hodel information contained herein is used to expedite progress Secretary in this challenging technology. Martha O. Hesse Assistant Secretary Management and Administration William S. Heffelfinger Director of Administration Joseph G. Coyne Manager Office of Scientific and Technical Information Technical Information Center, Office of Scientific and Technical Information Um>ed States Department of Energy, P. O. Box 62. Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Introduction It has been my pleasure to serve as general chairman for the Symposium on Refractory Alloy Technology for Space Nuclear Power Applications. The sponsor of the symposium is the SP-100 Program, a triagency endeavor involving the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Office of Nuclear Energy of the Department of Energy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense. The SP-100 designation is appropriate because the program covers two classes of nuclear devices for space applications: a 100 KW(e) class and a muitimegawatt [as high as 100 MW(e)] class. For the present time, the major effort by far is on the 100 KW(e) class, although planning is already unde1" way on muitimegawatt concepts. The purpose of this symposium is twofold: (1) to review and document the status of refractory alloy technology for structural and fuel-cladding applications in space nuclear power systems, and (2) to identify and document the refractory alloy research and development needs for the SP-100 Program in both the short and the long term. As indicated, the two key words are status and needs. Nuclear fuel systems, per se, are not included in the scope of the symposium. Only the fuel cladding has been considered, principally from the standpoints of radiation damage and compatibility with coolants and working fluids. In organizing the symposium, an effort was made to recapture the space reactor refractory alloy technology that was essentially cut off in midstream around 1975 when a substantial national space nuclear reactor program, which began in the early 1960s, was terminated. An important product of this symposium will be the identification of the R&D needs of the SP-100 Program for both the short and the long term. The six technical areas covered in the program are compatibility, processing and pro- duction, welding and component fabrication, mechanical and physical properties, effects of irradiation, and machinability. The refractory alloys considered, in order of increasing refractoriness, are niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, and tungsten. The papers have had a rather thorough presymposium review. As shown on page ii of this volume, advisory committees were established for each of the technical areas. The members of these advisory committees are selected experts, and they had the opportu- nity to review the papers. A design needs panel, made up of representatives of industrial concep design teams and the SP-100 Project Office, also reviewed the papers. Workshops were held the day before the symposium at the Oak Ridge National Labora- tory mainly for the purpose of developing a consensus concerning the R&D needs. We believe that the process of bringing the symposium to fruition has been worth- while and trust that the proceedings contained herein will serve a continuing useful pur- pose in this nation's space nuclear reactor programs. W. O. Harms, Director Nuclear Reactor Technology Programs Oak Ridge National Laboratory Origin and Organization of the SP-100 Program