The primary recoil spectrum in the simulation of fast-reactor radiation damage by charged-particle bombardment

The energy spectrum of primary knock-on atoms in iron subject to a typical fast-reactor neutron spectrum is calculated and compared to the PKA.spectrum calculated in nickel under bombardment by 46.5 MeV nickel ions (as on the Harwell VEC), 5 MeV nickel ions, 22 MeV carbon ions, 5 MeV protons and 1 MeV electrons. The damage produced by each PKA spectrum is calculated, and the proportion of the damage produced by high-energy recoils estimated. Comparison of the PKA spectra indicates that the nickel-ion bombardments are the closest simulation of fast-reactor damage.