Optimizing the McMaster University Cans Hot Cells for Pressure Tube Sample Preparation and Analysis

Abstract

The Centre for Advanced Nuclear Systems (CANS) is a post-irradiation examination (PIE) facility currently being commissioned at McMaster University. This facility consists of four interconnected hot cells adjacent to a scanning electron microscope / focused ion beam (SEM/FIB) instrument. Each cell has been adapted into a custom work station, containing equipment such as a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine, multiple sample preparation machines, a tensile testing apparatus, and an in-cell optical microscope. This facility is for multipurpose nuclear applications, and this paper will focus on the optimizations made to conduct material analysis of zirconium pressure tubes from CANDU reactors. Samples from mock-up pressure tubes have been created with the equipment inside the cells including: dog-bone and compact tension (CT) specimens for mechanical testing, as well as resin puck mounted samples used for microscopic analysis.