AN EFFECT OF GAMMA-NEUTRON IRRADIATION AND OXYGEN ADMIXTURES ON INTERACTION OF HYDROGEN WITH AUSTENITIC 18CR-10NI-TI STEEL

Experimental data on permeability and diffusion of hydrogen through au stenitic 18Cr-10Ni-0.65Ti steel with 0.08 and 0.12 wt.% of carbon have been obtained with special equipment designed and installed at the re search reactor IVV-2M. It has been shown that parameters of hydrogen i sotope transfer in the steel increased substantially during irradiatio n by fast neutrons of flux density f(fast) < 1.8 x 10(18) n m(-2) per s, fluence F = 9.5 x 10(24) n m(-2) (E > 0.1 MeV) and absorbed gamma d ose 3.6 W g(-1) at temperatures of 573-1073 K. Under these irradiation conditions, even a small oxygen admixture content in hydrogen allowed creation of reliable surface barriers on the steel, which essentially decreased hydrogen permeability. At the same time, the physico-mechan ical properties of the steel under study changed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience S.A. All rights reserved.