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Securing the advanced reactor fleet
Physical protection accounts for a significant portion of a nuclear power plant’s operational costs. As the U.S. moves toward smaller and safer advanced reactors, similar protection strategies could prove cost prohibitive. For tomorrow’s small modular reactors and microreactors, security costs must remain appropriate to the size of the reactor for economical operation.
W.S. Shih, W.J. James, N.E. Barr, N.C. Morosoff, Y. Xie, R.B. Stephens
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 31 | Number 4 | July 1997 | Pages 442-448
Technical Paper | Eleventh Target Fabrication Specialists' Meeting | doi.org/10.13182/FST97-A30799
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Plasma deposition techniques have been examined for production of air-stable films consisting principally of beryllium and carbon. By plasma polymerization of diethylberyllium, films have been made with Be content above 50%, O content near 1%, excellent composition uniformity and reasonable surface smoothness. It appears necessary, for oxygen stability, to deposit these films at T>250°C; at that temperature, the Be is incorporated, at least in part, as a carbide; the measured film densities—2.1–2.5 g/cm3, are near that of Be2C. Permeability to H2 is sufficent to allow microballon filling at 105°C without subsequent loss of H2 at room temperature. Combined sputtering of Be and deposition of a methane plasma polymer has been found similarly effective in forming beryllium/carbon films with Be content above 50 at. % and O content near 1%. These films have not been as extensively studied.