Influence of silicon on swelling and microstructure in Russian austenitic stainless steel EI-847 irradiated to high neutron doses

Void swelling and microstructural development of niobium-stabilized EI-847 austenitic stainless steel with a range of silicon levels were investigated by destructive examination of fuel pin cladding irradiated in three fast reactors located in either Russia or Kazakhstan. The tendency of void swelling to be progressively reduced by increasing silicon concentration appears to be a very general phenomenon in this steel, whether observed in simple, single-variable experiments on well-defined materials or when observed in multivariable, time-dependent irradiations conducted on commercially produced steels over a wide range of irradiation temperatures, neutron spectra and dpa rates. The role of silicon on microstructural development is expressed both in the solid solution via its influence on dislocation and void microstructure and via its influence on formation of radiation-induced phases that in turn alter the matrix composition. Surprisingly, increases in silicon level in this study do not accelerate the formation of silicon-rich G-phase, but act to increase the formation of Nb (C,N) precipitates. Such precipitates are known to be associated with delayed void swelling.