Plenary – Metallurgy and Materials Science

Brian D. Wirth will introduce the Metallurgy and Materials Science sessions with a discussion of "Multiscale Materials Modeling of Radiation Damage and Defect/Microstructural Evolution in Materials: Impact of He/dpa Ratio" The presentation will focus on the effect of a noble gas, helium, which is produced by alpha decay of plutonium, and how that influences the long-term aging behavior of plutonium, including changes in thermal-physical properties. The expected behavior of plutonium aging due to alpha decay will be compared and contrasted from what we know about helium behavior, and in particular the production rate of helium to displacement damage, from materials used in nuclear energy.