Analysis of hydrogenated zirconium alloys irradiated with gamma - rays

The paper represents the investigations concerning the geometrical size effect of hydrogenated zirconium alloys (Zr-1Ni-H) during gamma-ray irradiation on the amount of energy absorbed. The results have shown that the less the cross-sectional dimensions of the sample or product is, the less energy is absorbed. The paper provides theoretical calculations. The zirconium sample with a cross-section of 2.8х2.8 cm absorbs 30-35% of the energy of the incident gamma-ray flow. The increase in the cross-section of a product up to 28 cm leads to the increase in the absorbed energy by more than 2 times. At the same time, the thickness of the product is constant. This effect is explained by the multiple scattering of gamma-rays. It leads to the nonuniform distribution of defects which can accumulate hydrogen and should be considered when developing the analysis methods. These edge effects are confirmed by the measurement of the thermal electromotive force for the samples of zirconium alloys before hydrogenation and gamma-ray irradiation, and after irradiation.