A study on nuclear properties of Zr, Nb, and Ta nuclei used as structural material in fusion reactor

¹ Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Physics, Osmaniye, Turkey
² Kirikkale University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Physics, Kirikkale, Turkey
³ Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Physics, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
⁴ Sinop University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Nuclear Energy Engineering, Sinop, Turkey

^a Corresponding author: halidesahan@osmaniye.edu.tr

Published online: 9 July 2015

Abstract

Fusion has a practically limitless fuel supply and is attractive as an energy source. The main goal of fusion research is to construct and operate an energy generating system. Fusion researches also contains fusion structural materials used fusion reactors. Material issues are very important for development of fusion reactors. Therefore, a wide range of fusion structural materials have been considered for fusion energy applications. Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb) and Tantalum (Ta) containing alloys are important structural materials for fusion reactors and many other fields. Naturally Zr includes the ⁹⁰Zr (%51.5), ⁹¹Zr (%11.2), ⁹²Zr (%17.1), ⁹⁴Zr (%17.4), ⁹⁶Zr (%2.80) isotopes and ⁹³Nb and ¹⁸¹Ta include the ⁹³Nb (%100) and ¹⁸¹Ta (%99.98), respectively. In this study, the charge, mass, proton and neutron densities and the root-mean-square (rms) charge radii, rms nuclear mass radii, rms nuclear proton, and neutron radii have been calculated for ^87-102Zr, ⁹³Nb, ¹⁸¹Ta target nuclei isotopes by using the Hartree–Fock method with an effective Skyrme force with SKM*. The calculated results have been compared with those of the compiled experimental taken from Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables and theoretical values of other studies.