Kinetic Monte Carlo computer simulations were used to study the effects of temperature changes, during low-dose 14MeV fusion neutron irradiation, upon defect accumulation. Instantaneous temperature changes from 300 to 473K, from 300 to 673K and from 373 to 573K, were simulated. All of the upper temperatures were above the stage-V annealing temperature of about 400K. The total simulated dose was equal to 0.01dpa for all of the temperature-change simulations, at a dose rate 10-6dpa/s. In general, the concentrations of self-interstitial atom clusters and vacancy clusters decreased when the temperature was changed from low to high. The relative decrease in the concentration of defect clusters, when the temperature was increased, was determined by the level of accumulation of vacancy clusters in the initial low-temperature part of the irradiation as well as by the specific temperature which was involved. If the vacancy clusters were small and their concentration was high, the decrease in cluster density was marked when the temperature increased. The higher the second temperature, the easier it was for defect clusters to dissolve.

Computer Simulations of the Effects of Temperature Change on Defect Accumulation in Copper during Neutron Irradiation. Q.Xu, H.L.Heinisch, T.Yoshiie: Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2000, 283-287, 297-301