Integrated method to analyze crystals in deposits

1. A method to analyze crystals in a deposit on a surface of a nuclear generating station heating surface, comprising the steps of:

extracting a deposit from the surface of the nuclear generating station heating surface;

preparing a sample of material from the deposit for testing, wherein the sample of material is configured to examine at least one of said crystals in its environment within the deposit such that an as found state of the extracted deposit can be tested;

conducting at least one of a high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample and a scanning transmission electron microscope/selected area electron diffraction/spot and elemental mapping analysis of the sample;

if high resolution scanning microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is conducted, further comprising the steps of:

conducting at least one of three-dimensional morphology, surface topography aggregation and determination of flake size/shape, phase separation and chemical composition quantification after the high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample;

performing a Monte Carlo simulation of electron beam-specimen interaction after the at least one of three-dimensional morphology, surface topography aggregation and determination of flake size/shape, phase separation and chemical composition quantification; and

storing results of the Monte Carlo simulation and the at least one of the high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample, the three-dimensional morphology, surface topography aggregation and determination of flake size/shape, phase separation and chemical composition quantification in a structural data base;

if high resolution scanning microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is not conducted, further comprising the steps of:

conducting at least one of an internal structure, morphology and crystal size/shape determination, a crystallography investigation and a chemical composition investigation after the scanning transmission electron microscope/selected area electron diffraction/spot and elemental mapping analysis of the sample; and

storing results of the at least one of the internal structure, morphology and crystal size/shape determination, crystallography investigation and the chemical composition investigation in a crystallographic data system.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the Monte Carlo simulation predicts an expected behavior of the sample under specific operating conditions.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of preparing the sample of material comprises one of:

collecting a CRUD deposit directly on TEM grids placed on filter paper and placing the deposit on standard carbon support film to dislodge a number of crystals from a surface of a flake of the deposit.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of conducting at least one of three-dimensional morphology, surface topography aggregation and determination of flake size/shape, phase separation and chemical composition quantification after the high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample is performed by alternating between imaging modes to eliminate charging effects resulting from a radioactive field developed during analysis.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one of the three-dimensional morphology and the phase separation is determined through scanning electron microscope multimode imaging.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a peak to background method is used during the step of conducting at least one of a high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample to compensate for geometric effects of the sample surface.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein both a high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample and a scanning transmission electron microscope/selected area electron diffraction/spot and elemental analysis of the sample are performed.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is used to identify phase separation according to an average atomic number of the sample.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is used at both a voltage between 0.2 to 5 kV for one of radioactive and charged samples, and at voltages between 20 to 50 kV when obtaining chemical information in the high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive S-ray spectrometry.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry is performed with standards for radioactive samples.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a peak to background method is used during the scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample to compensate for geometric effects of the deposit.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

conducting transmission electron microscopy of the sample.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein a selected area electron diffraction is performed during the step of transmission electron microscopy to determine d-spacings of crystal phases of the sample.

14. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

comparing the stored results of the one of high resolution scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample and the scanning transmission electron microscopy/selected area electron diffraction/spot and elemental mapping to a crystallographic materials phase data system.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein both high resolution scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry of the sample and scanning transmission electron microscope/selected area electron diffraction/spot and elemental mapping analysis of the sample are conducted, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

conducting at least one of an internal structure, morphology and crystal size/shape determination a crystallography investigation and a chemical composition investigation after the scanning transmission electron microscope/selected area electron diffraction/spot and elemental mapping analysis of the sample; and,

storing results of the at least one of the internal structure, morphology and crystal size/shape determination, crystallography investigation and the chemical composition investigation in a crystallographic data system.