The main objective of this project was to conduct a benchmark analysis for the optical dilatometry method by using NSUF’s SiC temperature monitors: two (2) SiC temperature monitors provided by NSUF’s BSU 8242 experiment and two (2) SiC temperature monitors provided by NSUF’s GE Hitachi experiment. Per the BSU 8242 experiment, KGT 3597 and KGT 3591 had a design temperature of 400?C and an exposure of 3 dpa. Per the GE Hitachi experiment, KGT 3341 and KGT 3336 had a design temperature of 290?C +/ 50?C and an exposure of 0.5–1 dpa. The KGT 3336 SiC monitor was split into two pieces during the decontamination process, making the dilatometry method the only way to analyze both those pieces. The BSU 8242 monitors revealed peak irradiation temperatures under the design temperature, and the GE Hitachi monitors revealed peak irradiation temperatures within the design temperature range. The optical dilatometry method measured the peak irradiation temperature of BSU 8242 KGT 3597 to be 330?C, while the resistivity method measured the peak irradiation temperature of BSU 8242 KGT 3591 to be 320?C +/ 20?C. The optical dilatometry method measured the peak irradiation temperatures of the pieces of GE Hitachi KGT 3336 to be 260?C (for the larger piece) and 220?C (for the smaller piece), while the resistivity method measured the peak irradiation temperature of GE Hitachi KGT 3341 to be 300?C, with an accuracy range of 50?C to +20?C. Both methods of SiC temperature monitor analysis produced very similar peak irradiation temperatures for each pair of SiC passive monitors from the two experiments, BSU 8242 and GE Hitachi. The results show dilatometry method to be a reliable and less time-intensive process for determining irradiation temperatures from passive SiC thermometry.
