Texture imaging of zirconium based components by total neutron cross-section experiments

J. R. SANTISTEBAN; M. A. VICENTE ALVAREZ; P. VIZCAINO; A. D. BANCHIK; S. VOGEL; A.S. TREMSIN; J.V. VALLERGA; J.B. MCPHATE; E. LEHMANN; W. KOCKELMANN

JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2011 vol. 425 p. 218 - 227

0022-3115

The transmission of thermal neutrons through an object is affected by the microstructure and crystallographictexture of the composing material. As a result, the total neutron cross section of common metallicobjects departs largely from that expected for polycrystalline materials without preferred orientation. Inthis work we present the wavelength dependence of the total cross section of different Zr-based componentsof nuclear reactors, such as pressure tubes, rolled plates and welds. The experimental values foundfor the total cross section are discussed in terms of the crystallographic texture that results from the componentmanufacturing. The discussion is based on energy-resolved radiographies taken at the ISIS Facility,UK, using a novel micro-channel plate detector; and theoretical calculations of the elastic coherenttotal cross section from the orientation distribution function (ODF) of the crystallites composing a sample.The connection existing between texture and neutron transmission is exploited to investigate thespatial variation of texture across Zr-based components.