Ion-beam analysis of radioactive samples
The CASIMIR (Chamber for the Analysis of Surfaces and Interfaces of IRradiant Materials) facility, located on the 45° beamline of the LEEL nuclear microprobe, is the only one in the world capable of performing ion beam analysis of radioactive samples. It is located in the laboratory’s controlled area. Samples are received and handled in shielded cells using remote manipulators.=
The facility is designed to accommodate samples with a maximum activity equivalent to that of approximately 0.5 g of nuclear fuel—UO₂ or MOX—with a burnup rate corresponding to that of end-of-life nuclear fuel in the French pressurized water reactors (35 and 45 GWj/t, respectively, after 6 months of cooling).
The analysis chamber is equipped with charged-particle detectors, enabling the use of the main ion-beam analysis techniques (RBS, ERDA, NRA). A Si(Li) detector, suitable for PIXE, is also available for low-radiation samples. The spatial resolution of these techniques, which depends on the beam size on the sample, can be as high as 20 × 5 µm² for ERDA and 5 × 5 µm² for the other analytical techniques.
The CASIMIR software enables qualitative and quantitative studies of the microstructure of materials used in the nuclear power industry, including nuclear fuel, storage matrices, and structural materials located in the core (fuel cladding, grids):
- Quantitative analysis by nuclear reaction of the lithium and boron content in the zirconia formed on the surface of EdF reactor fuel cladding
- ERDA analysis of hydrogen trapped in EdF reactor fuel cladding
- Demonstration of the influence of self-damage caused by alpha decay of UO₂ fuel on helium mobility
- Measurement of the influence of alpha irradiation on the distribution profile of fission gases (Nd, Xe)
Contact : Hicham Khodja, NIMBE, Laboratoire d’Étude des Éléments Légers.
