Mechanism of Irradiation Assisted Cracking of Core Components in Light Water Reactors PDF Download
Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Mechanism of Irradiation Assisted Cracking of Core Components in Light Water Reactors PDF full book. Access full book title Mechanism of Irradiation Assisted Cracking of Core Components in Light Water Reactors by . Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
The overall goal of the project is to determine the mechanism of irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). IASCC has been linked to hardening, microstructural and microchemical changes during irradiation. Unfortunately, all of these changes occur simultaneously and at similar rates during irradiation, making attribution of IASCC to any one of these features nearly impossible to determine. The strategy set forth in this project is to develop means to separate microstructural from microchemical changes to evaluate each separately for their effect on IASCC. In the first part, post irradiation annealing (PIA) treatments are used to anneal the irradiated microstructure, leaving only radiation induced segregation (RIS) for evaluation for its contribution to IASCC. The second part of the strategy is to use low temperature irradiation to produce a radiation damage dislocation loop microstructure without radiation induced segregation in order to evaluate the effect of the dislocation microstructure alone. A radiation annealing model was developed based on the elimination of dislocation loops by vacancy absorption. Results showed that there were indeed, time-temperature annealing combinations that leave the radiation induced segregation profile largely unaltered while the dislocation microstructure is significantly reduced. Proton irradiation of 304 stainless steel irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons to 1.0 or 2.5 dpa resulted in grain boundary depletion of chromium and enrichment of nickel and a radiation damaged microstructure. Post irradiation annealing at temperatures of 500 600°C for times of up to 45 min. removed the dislocation microstructure to a greater degree with increasing temperatures, or times at temperature, while leaving the radiation induced segregation profile relatively unaltered. Constant extension rate tensile (CERT) experiments in 288°C water containing 2 ppm O2 and with a conductivity of 0.2 mS/cm and at a strain rate of 3 x 10-7 s-1 showed that the IASCC susceptibility, as measured by the crack length per unit strain, decreased with very short anneals and was almost completely removed by an anneal at 500°C for 45 min. This annealing treatment removed about 15% of the dislocation microstructure and the irradiation hardening, but did not affect the grain boundary chromium depletion or nickel segregation, nor did it affect the grain boundary content of other minor impurities. These results indicate that RIS is not the sole controlling feature of IASCC in irradiated stainless steels in normal water chemistry. The isolation of the irradiated microstructure was approached using low temperature irradiation or combinations of low and high temperature irradiations to achieve a stable, irradiated microstructure without RIS. Experiments were successful in achieving a high degree of irradiation hardening without any evidence of RIS of either major or minor elements. The low temperature irradiations to doses up to 0.3 dpa at T
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
The overall goal of the project is to determine the mechanism of irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). IASCC has been linked to hardening, microstructural and microchemical changes during irradiation. Unfortunately, all of these changes occur simultaneously and at similar rates during irradiation, making attribution of IASCC to any one of these features nearly impossible to determine. The strategy set forth in this project is to develop means to separate microstructural from microchemical changes to evaluate each separately for their effect on IASCC. In the first part, post irradiation annealing (PIA) treatments are used to anneal the irradiated microstructure, leaving only radiation induced segregation (RIS) for evaluation for its contribution to IASCC. The second part of the strategy is to use low temperature irradiation to produce a radiation damage dislocation loop microstructure without radiation induced segregation in order to evaluate the effect of the dislocation microstructure alone. A radiation annealing model was developed based on the elimination of dislocation loops by vacancy absorption. Results showed that there were indeed, time-temperature annealing combinations that leave the radiation induced segregation profile largely unaltered while the dislocation microstructure is significantly reduced. Proton irradiation of 304 stainless steel irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons to 1.0 or 2.5 dpa resulted in grain boundary depletion of chromium and enrichment of nickel and a radiation damaged microstructure. Post irradiation annealing at temperatures of 500 600°C for times of up to 45 min. removed the dislocation microstructure to a greater degree with increasing temperatures, or times at temperature, while leaving the radiation induced segregation profile relatively unaltered. Constant extension rate tensile (CERT) experiments in 288°C water containing 2 ppm O2 and with a conductivity of 0.2 mS/cm and at a strain rate of 3 x 10-7 s-1 showed that the IASCC susceptibility, as measured by the crack length per unit strain, decreased with very short anneals and was almost completely removed by an anneal at 500°C for 45 min. This annealing treatment removed about 15% of the dislocation microstructure and the irradiation hardening, but did not affect the grain boundary chromium depletion or nickel segregation, nor did it affect the grain boundary content of other minor impurities. These results indicate that RIS is not the sole controlling feature of IASCC in irradiated stainless steels in normal water chemistry. The isolation of the irradiated microstructure was approached using low temperature irradiation or combinations of low and high temperature irradiations to achieve a stable, irradiated microstructure without RIS. Experiments were successful in achieving a high degree of irradiation hardening without any evidence of RIS of either major or minor elements. The low temperature irradiations to doses up to 0.3 dpa at T
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
This report summarizes work performed by Argonne National Laboratory on fatigue and environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) in light water reactors (LWRs) from January to December 2002. Topics that have been investigated include: (a) environmental effects on fatigue crack initiation in carbon and low-alloy steels and austenitic stainless steels (SSs), (b) irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of austenitic SSs in BWRs, (c) evaluation of causes and mechanisms of irradiation-assisted cracking of austenitic SS in PWRs, and (d) cracking in Ni-alloys and welds. A critical review of the ASME Code fatigue design margins and an assessment of the conservation in the current choice of design margins are presented. The existing fatigue {var_epsilon}-N data have been evaluated to define the effects of key material, loading, and environmental parameters on the fatigue lives of carbon and low-alloy steels and austenitic SSs. Experimental data are presented on the effects of surface roughness on fatigue crack initiation in these materials in air and LWR environments. Crack growth tests were performed in BWR environments on SSs irradiated to 0.9 and 2.0 x 1021 n x cm−2. The crack growth rates (CGRs) of the irradiated steels are a factor of (almost equal to)5 higher than the disposition curve proposed in NUREG-0313 for thermally sensitized materials. The CGRs decreased by an order of magnitude in low-dissolved oxygen (DO) environments. Slow-strain-rate tensile (SSRT) tests were conducted in high-purity 289 C water on steels irradiated to (almost equal to)3 dpa. The bulk S content correlated well with the susceptibility to intergranular SCC in 289 C water. The IASCC susceptibility of SSs that contain>0.003 wt. % S increased drastically. bend tests in inert environments at 23 C were conducted on broken pieces of SSRT specimens and on unirradiated specimens of the same materials after hydrogen charging. The results of the tests and a review of other data in the literature indicate that IASCC in 289 C water is dominated by a crack-tip grain-boundary process that involves S. An initial IASCC model has been proposed. A crack growth test was completed on mill annealed Alloy 600 in high-purity water at 289 C and 320 C under various environmental and loading conditions. The results from this test are compared with data obtained earlier on several other heats of Alloy 600.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 22
Book Description
Irradiation-assisted stress-corrosion cracking (IASCC) is a phenomenon produced by radiation-induced alterations in the material and environment. These alternations include radiation-induced segregation and depletion of specific elements at grain boundaries, radiation creep and hardening and radiolytic effects induced in the aqueous environment. This phenomenon has been clearly identified as an active crack growth mechanism for in-core components in fission reactor must be considered as a potential crack growth mechanism for water-cooled fusion reactors such as ITER or power reactors. The potential for IASCC phenomenon occurring in ITER structural materials is being evaluated by modeling and experiment. Results from modeling calculations for impurity segregation at ITER-relevant temperatures have been completed and suggest that this phenomenon is not likely to induce IASCC during the ITER design life. If a fusion power reactor is water cooled, IASCC is a definite concern for austenitic stainless steels. It has been clearly demonstrated with modeling and experimental measurements that Cr depletion occurs within about 1 dpa. Phosphorus and Si grain boundary segregation can also occur at this same dose and temperature but their effect on IASCC appears to be secondary to Cr depletion. Also, irradiation creep-induced crack tip strain appears to be a secondary effect. However, there are a number of unexplained observations in the literature on IASCC which may be caused by radiation damage effects other than Cr depletion or impurity segregation.
Author: Pascal Yvon Publisher: Woodhead Publishing ISBN: 0081009127 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 686
Book Description
Operating at a high level of fuel efficiency, safety, proliferation-resistance, sustainability and cost, generation IV nuclear reactors promise enhanced features to an energy resource which is already seen as an outstanding source of reliable base load power. The performance and reliability of materials when subjected to the higher neutron doses and extremely corrosive higher temperature environments that will be found in generation IV nuclear reactors are essential areas of study, as key considerations for the successful development of generation IV reactors are suitable structural materials for both in-core and out-of-core applications. Structural Materials for Generation IV Nuclear Reactors explores the current state-of-the art in these areas. Part One reviews the materials, requirements and challenges in generation IV systems. Part Two presents the core materials with chapters on irradiation resistant austenitic steels, ODS/FM steels and refractory metals amongst others. Part Three looks at out-of-core materials. Structural Materials for Generation IV Nuclear Reactors is an essential reference text for professional scientists, engineers and postgraduate researchers involved in the development of generation IV nuclear reactors. - Introduces the higher neutron doses and extremely corrosive higher temperature environments that will be found in generation IV nuclear reactors and implications for structural materials - Contains chapters on the key core and out-of-core materials, from steels to advanced micro-laminates - Written by an expert in that particular area
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 115
Book Description
The internal components of light water reactors are exposed to high-energy neutron irradiation and high-temperature reactor coolant. The exposure to neutron irradiation increases the susceptibility of austenitic stainless steels (SSs) to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) because of the elevated corrosion potential of the reactor coolant and the introduction of new embrittlement mechanisms through radiation damage. Various nonsensitized SSs and nickel alloys have been found to be prone to intergranular cracking after extended neutron exposure. Such cracks have been seen in a number of internal components in boiling water reactors (BWRs). The elevated susceptibility to SCC in irradiated materials, commonly referred to as irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC), is a complex phenomenon that involves simultaneous actions of irradiation, stress, and corrosion. In recent years, as nuclear power plants have aged and irradiation dose increased, IASCC has become an increasingly important issue. Post-irradiation crack growth rate and fracture toughness tests have been performed to provide data and technical support for the NRC to address various issues related to aging degradation of reactor-core internal structures and components. This report summarizes the results of the last group of tests on compact tension specimens from the Halden-II irradiation. The IASCC susceptibility of austenitic SSs and heat-affected-zone (HAZ) materials sectioned from submerged arc and shielded metal arc welds was evaluated by conducting crack growth rate and fracture toughness tests in a simulated BWR environment. The fracture and cracking behavior of HAZ materials, thermally sensitized SSs and grain-boundary engineered SSs was investigated at several doses (≤3 dpa). These latest results were combined with previous results from Halden-I and II irradiations to analyze the effects of neutron dose, water chemistry, alloy compositions, and welding and processing conditions on IASCC. The effect of neutron irradiation on the fracture toughness of austenitic SSs was also evaluated at dose levels relevant to BWR internals.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
Irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking is a key materials degradation issue in today s nuclear power reactor fleet and affects critical structural components within the reactor core. The effects of increased exposure to irradiation, stress, and/or coolant can substantially increase susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking of austenitic steels in high-temperature water environments. . Despite 30 years of experience, the underlying mechanisms of IASCC are unknown. Extended service conditions will increase the exposure to irradiation, stress, and corrosive environment for all core internal components. The objective of this effort within the Light Water Reactor Sustainability program is to evaluate the response and mechanisms of IASCC in austenitic stainless steels with single variable experiments. A series of high-value irradiated specimens has been acquired from the past international research programs, providing a valuable opportunity to examine the mechanisms of IASCC. This batch of irradiated specimens has been received and inventoried. In addition, visual examination and sample cleaning has been completed. Microhardness testing has been performed on these specimens. All samples show evidence of hardening, as expected, although the degree of hardening has saturated and no trend with dose is observed. Further, the change in hardening can be converted to changes in mechanical properties. The calculated yield stress is consistent with previous data from light water reactor conditions. In addition, some evidence of changes in deformation mode was identified via examination of the microhardness indents. This analysis may provide further insights into the deformation mode under larger scale tests. Finally, swelling analysis was performed using immersion density methods. Most alloys showed some evidence of swelling, consistent with the expected trends for this class of alloy. The Hf-doped alloy showed densification rather than swelling. This observation may be related to the formation of second-phases under irradiation, although further examination is required.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
. Irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) is a known issue in current reactors. In a 60 year lifetime, reactor core internals may experience fluence levels up to 15 dpa for boiling water reactors (BWR) and 100+ dpa for pressurized water reactors (PWR). To support a safe operation of our fleet of reactors and maintain their economic viability it is important to be able to predict any evolution of material behaviors as reactors age and therefore fluence accumulated by reactor core component increases. For PWR reactors, the difficulty to predict high fluence behavior comes from the fact that there is not a consensus of the mechanism of IASCC and that little data is available. It is however possible to use the current state of knowledge on the evolution of irradiated microstructure and on the processes that influences IASCC to emit hypotheses. This report identifies several potential changes in microstructure and proposes to identify their potential impact of IASCC. The susceptibility of a component to high fluence IASCC is considered to not only depends on the intrinsic IASCC susceptibility of the component due to radiation effects on the material but to also be related to the evolution of the loading history of the material and interaction with the environment as total fluence increases. Single variation type experiments are proposed to be performed with materials that are representative of PWR condition and with materials irradiated in other conditions. To address the lack of IASCC propagation and initiation data generated with material irradiated in PWR condition, it is proposed to investigate the effect of spectrum and flux rate on the evolution of microstructure. A long term irradiation, aimed to generate a well-controlled irradiation history on a set on selected materials is also proposed for consideration. For BWR, the study of available data permitted to identify an area of concern for long term performance of component. The efficiency of hydrogen water chemistry mitigation technology may decrease as fluence increases for high-stress intensity factors. This report describes a program plan to determine the efficiency of hydrogen water chemistry as a function of the stress intensity factor applied and fluence. The use of existing, available, materials and the generation of additional materials via irradiation in a research reactor are considered.
Author: Robert Odette Publisher: Newnes ISBN: 012397349X Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 676
Book Description
High-performance alloys that can withstand operation in hazardous nuclear environments are critical to presentday in-service reactor support and maintenance and are foundational for reactor concepts of the future. With commercial nuclear energy vendors and operators facing the retirement of staff during the coming decades, much of the scholarly knowledge of nuclear materials pursuant to appropriate, impactful, and safe usage is at risk. Led by the multi-award winning editorial team of G. Robert Odette (UCSB) and Steven J. Zinkle (UTK/ORNL) and with contributions from leaders of each alloy discipline, Structural Alloys for Nuclear Energy Applications aids the next generation of researchers and industry staff developing and maintaining steels, nickel-base alloys, zirconium alloys, and other structural alloys in nuclear energy applications. This authoritative reference is a critical acquisition for institutions and individuals seeking state-of-the-art knowledge aided by the editors' unique personal insight from decades of frontline research, engineering and management. - Focuses on in-service irradiation, thermal, mechanical, and chemical performance capabilities. - Covers the use of steels and other structural alloys in current fission technology, leading edge Generation-IV fission reactors, and future fusion power reactors. - Provides a critical and comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art experimental knowledge base of reactor materials, for applications ranging from engineering safety and lifetime assessments to supporting the development of advanced computational models.
Author: K L Murty Publisher: Elsevier ISBN: 0857097458 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 441
Book Description
Light water reactors (LWRs) are the predominant class of nuclear power reactors in operation today; however, ageing and degradation can influence both their performance and lifetime. Knowledge of these factors is therefore critical to safe, continuous operation. Materials ageing and degradation in light water reactors provides a comprehensive guide to prevalent deterioration mechanisms, and the approaches used to handle their effects.Part one introduces fundamental ageing issues and degradation mechanisms. Beginning with an overview of ageing and degradation issues in LWRs, the book goes on to discuss corrosion in pressurized water reactors and creep deformation of materials in LWRs. Part two then considers materials' ageing and degradation in specific LWR components. Applications of zirconium alloys in LWRs are discussed, along with the ageing of electric cables. Materials management strategies for LWRs are then the focus of part three. Materials management strategies for pressurized water reactors and VVER reactors are considered before the book concludes with a discussion of materials-related problems faced by LWR operators and corresponding research needs.With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Materials ageing and degradation in light water reactors is an authoritative review for anyone requiring an understanding of the performance and durability of this type of nuclear power plant, including plant operators and managers, nuclear metallurgists, governmental and regulatory safety bodies, and researchers, scientists and academics working in this area. - Introduces the fundamental ageing issues and degradation mechanisms associated with this class of nuclear power reactors - Considers materials ageing and degradation in specific light water reactor components, including properties, performance and inspection - Chapters also focus on material management strategies
Author: 
Author: 
Author: 
Author: 
Author: Pascal Yvon
Author: Materials Engineering Associates
Author: 
Author: 
Author: 
Author: Robert Odette
Author: K L Murty