Fatigue damage in major light water reactor components
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is sponsoring a Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program for resolution of technical safety issues associated with aging of, and license renewal for, commercial nuclear power plants. One project in the NPAR program is to develop the appropriate technical procedures and criteria for the NRC to assess the residual life of the major light water reactor components and structures. These assessments will help the NRC resolve certain safety issues and develop policies and guidelines for marking timely license-renewal decisions. Most of the effort for this residual life assessment project is focused on integrating, evaluating, and updating the technical information relevant to aging and license renewal from current and completed NRC and industry research programs. The major components for this project were selected according to the role they play in containing any fission products that may be released during an accident. The selected components include primary pressure boundary components, primary containments, cables and connectors, emergency diesel generators, and reactor pressure vessel supports. The degradation sites, mechanisms, stressors, and potential failure modes for these major components have been identified and evaluated. The results show that fatigue is a major degradation mechanism acting at several critical locations. This paper reviews the fatigue damage in the major components and identifies the unresolved safety issues relevant to aging and license-renewal considerations.
- OSTI ID:
- 7148345
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8711195-; TRN: 88-028656
- Journal Information:
- Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 55; Conference: American Nuclear Society winter meeting, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 15 Nov 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
FATIGUE
AGING
CORROSION
CRACK PROPAGATION
MICROSTRUCTURE
NOZZLES
PRESSURE VESSELS
REACTOR LICENSING
REACTOR OPERATION
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESIDUAL STRESSES
SERVICE LIFE
STEAM GENERATORS
WELDED JOINTS
BOILERS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAINERS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
JOINTS
LICENSING
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
OPERATION
REACTORS
STRESSES
VAPOR GENERATORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
210100* - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled