Post-irradiation examinations of Li4SiO4 pebbles irradiated in the EXOTIC-8 experiment

In the EXOTIC-8 irradiation experiment in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, lithium orthosilicate (OSi) pebbles with 50% 6Li-content were irradiated with the aim at investigating the behaviour of breeder ceramics at DEMO relevant burn-up. Specifically, changes in the mechanical stability as well as in the tritium release properties (in-pile and out-of-pile) had to be studied. After the completion of the irradiation, lithium orthosilicate pebble samples were shipped to the Research Centre of Karlsruhe (FZK) for post-irradiation examinations. The pebbles irradiated up to about 11% 6Li burn-up showed an increase in smaller cracks in the bulk and the presence of larger through-cracks, but the amount of fragments is quite small and the pebbles maintained a very good crush load. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that the OSi pebbles can withstand high burn-up irradiation without an unduly high fragmentation.