Testing Cell for Proton Beam Irradiation Radiolysis

Proton and neutron beams are used to simulate the radiolysis effect taking place in a nuclear core. Neutron beams are not easily available, but proton beams can be relatively easily created using linear accelerators.

Cormet has designed and built two HT HP testing cells to be used under proton beam exposure for the University of Manchester Dalton Cumbria Facility (DCF). An external recirculation loop feeds 350°C temperature and 200 bar pressure water into the heated testing cell located in front of a proton beam. Water reacts with the specimen and returns to the recirculation loop, where the gaseous radiolysis products are separated from the water flow and led to a mass spectrometer for analysis.

A testing cell has a thin metallic window through which the protons can penetrate in the testing cell. The other side of the metallic window is exposed in a vacuum, whereas the other side has 350°C and 200 bar pressure. The window acts as a specimen on which the radiolysis takes place.

The basic testing cell includes a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor and the water inlet and outlet ports. The advanced testing cell allows the electrochemical tests, such as the corrosion potential measurement and the electrochemical polarisation of the metallic window that acts as a working electrode.

This instrument is a convenient method to obtain information on the HT HP radiolysis products under proton beam exposure. The small testing cell and inlet/outlet line volumes lead the water flow fast to the radiolysis product extraction instruments and further analysis.