Alpha radiation effects on weapons-grade plutonium encapsulating materials

The scientific understanding of material problems in the long-term storage of plutonium pits is investigated using experimental and theoretical models. The durability of the plutonium pit depends on the integrity of the metal cladding that encapsulates the plutonium. Given sufficient time, the energetic alpha particles (helium nuclei) produced by nuclear decay of the plutonium would degrade the mechanical strength of the metal cladding which could lead to cladding failure and dispersion of plutonium. It is shown that the long-term behavior of the encapsulating materials can be simulated by beam implantation and subsequent analysis using experimental techniques of Electron Microscopy and Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP). In addition computer simulations using the TRIM code were made in order to correlate the measurements to cladding damage.;The Neutron Depth Profiling measurements done with samples that had 10 16 cm-2 3He beam implant dose showed no helium redistribution, indicating no microcracking between bubbles, for both beryllium and stainless steel, the pit cladding materials of interest. However, helium redistribution and significant helium loss were observed for samples with a beam implant dose of 1018 cm-2 , indicating microstructural damage. The SEM observations were consistent with the NDP measurements.;The proper interpretation of the results rests on the realization that (i) the deleterious effects are related to helium concentration, not implant dose, and (ii) a specified maximum concentration of helium is achieved with a much smaller dose when monoenergetic ions are implanted using beam geometry than for the situation where Pu alphas stop in the pit cladding. Helium is distributed over a much smaller depth interval for beam implantation of monoenergetic ions as compared to the pit cladding implanted ions. Taking this effect into account and using the calculated pit implant dose gives a pit storage time for the 1016 cm-2 beam implant dose results equal to ∼300 years for SS-316 cladding and ∼1800 years for Be cladding. Based on this argument it is concluded from the results of the measurements that there most likely would be no radiation damage or microstructural changes in bulk SS-316 or Be cladding for 100 years of pit storage.