Gas porosity evolution and ion-implanted helium behavior in reactor ferritic/martensitic and austenitic steels

Abstract The peculiarities of gas porosity formation and helium retention and release in reactor ferritic/martensitic EP-450 and EP-450-ODS and austenitic ChS-68 steels are investigated by transmission electron microscopy and helium thermal desorption spectrometry (HTDS). The samples were irradiated by 40 keV He + ions up to a fluence of 5 · 10 20  m −2 at 293 and 923 K. An nonuniform distribution of helium bubbles and high-level gas swelling in ferritic/martensitic steels were found at high-temperature helium implantation. The same irradiation conditions result in formation of uniformly distributed helium bubbles and low-level swelling in ChS-68 steel. Temperature range of helium release from EP-450-ODS steel was considerably wider in comparison to HTDS-spectra of the EP-450 steel. A considerable quantity of helium is released from ODS steel in the high-temperature range after the main peak of the HTDS-spectrum.