The Effect of Point Defects Induced by Fast Neutron Irradiation on the Thermal Conductivity of Boron Carbide

The thermal conduction behavior of the neutron absorbing ceramic boron carbide in the initial stage of the irradiation was analyzed and a classical thermal conduction model was used to estimate the variation of the thermal conductivity in this paper. The calculated thermal conductivity using the model shows a large degration in the initial stage of irradiation. As the burnup increases, the thermal conductivity turns to be free of temperature dependence. These calculated results are consistent well with the expermental data of thermal conductivity of the irradiated boron carbide, which may suggest that the variation of the thermal conductivity of boron carbide is predominantly determined by the point defects scattering in the initial stage of irradiation.