Radiation effects on insulators for superconducting magnets

In order to determine the radiation stability of electrical insulation that could be used in a superconducting magnet for containment of the plasma in a fusion energy device, 55 specimens of eight types of organic insulation were irradiated to a dose of about 2 x 108 R (2 x 106 J/Kg) at a temperature of 4.8 K in the Low-Temperature Irradiation Facility in the Bulk Shielding Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Four of the specimens were monitored for changes in electrical resistivity during the irradiation. The initial resistivities, which were of the order of 1014 Ω cm, decreased to about 1013 Ω cm under the influence of a weak radiation field. At full-power reactor operation (2 MW), the resistivities dropped to about 1011 Ω cm, but changed little during the irradiation. After the irradiation the resistivities increased, but not to the initial values, because of residual radioactivity near or in the experiment assembly. Restoration to near the initial resistivity values was later observed upon warming the specimens to room temperature and purging the irradiation chamber. The latter result may be related to outgassing induced by the irradiation