Challenges and Solutions for Fast Neutron Irradiation of Bulk Material Specimens

Reactor developers continue to recognize opportunities for further enhancing fast spectrum reactor designs with advanced core materialsMaterials, but all the materialMaterials test reactors currently available to the United States are thermal spectrum designs. Fortunately, the Advanced Test Reactor and High Flux Isotope Reactor are versatile high flux facilities where spectral modification strategies can be used to reduce undesirable thermal neutron capture transmutation damage and augment fast flux delivered to specimens. New opportunities to leverage high flux regions and specially designed fast flux boosting experiment configurations can be used to achieve meaningful fast fluences on large specimens in ATR. New optimizationOptimization potentials can be employed to achieve even higher fluences, albeit for smaller specimens, using thermal neutron filters in HFIR test positions. These capabilities, while not true fast reactors, can provide highly relevant environments for researchers needing to study the effects of fast neutron damageFast neutron damage in bulk materialMaterials specimens.