THE NEUTRONIC BASIS FOR ELEMENTAL SUBSTITUTION IN MARTENSITIC STEELS

A simple graphical approach has been developed to facilitate the desig n of low-activation steels by elemental tailoring. Noting that the iro n base provides the best achievable target, the influence of candidate alloying elements becomes readily apparent when the contribution each makes to a particular activation parameter such as specific activity, dose rate or decay power, is expressed relative to the contribution f rom the iron base. This approach highlights the most critical activati on parameters and times after shutdown with respect to safety and envi ronmental objectives. Its application to the design of low activation martensitic stainless steels is discussed.