Influence of neutron irradiation on the microstructure of nuclear graphite: An X-ray diffraction study

Neutron irradiation effects on the microstructure of nuclear graphite have been investigated by X-ray diffraction on virgin and low doses (∼1.3 and ∼2.2 dpa), high temperature (750° C) irradiated samples. The diffraction patterns were interpreted using a model, which takes into account the turbostratic disorder. Besides the lattice constants, the model introduces two distinct coherent lengths in the c-axis and the basal plane, that characterise the volumes from which X-rays are scattered coherently. The methodology used in this work allows to quantify the effect of irradiation damage on the microstructure of nuclear graphite seen by X-ray diffraction. The results show that the changes of the deduced structural parameters are in agreement with previous observations from electron microscopy, but not directly related to macroscopic changes.