The Material Testing Rig with Temperature Control (MARICO) is an instrumented irradiation rig which allows for the irradiation of material samples under a constant temperature to obtain information concerning irradiation behaviors such as swelling and creep rupture characteristics. It is possible to control the capsule temperature to within ±4°C around the set value during irradiation by adjusting the gas composition ratio of argon and helium to change the gap conductance.
Additionally, a capsule with an electric heater installed is available to maintain the sample temperature at a constant independent of the reactor power. |
