Low-temperature swelling in LWR internal components: a computational assessment

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2015

OSTI ID:1214033

Stoller, Roger E. ^[1]; Golubov, Stanislav I. ^[1]; Barashev, Alexander V. ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

A modern cluster dynamics model has been used to investigate the materials and irradiation parameters that control microstructural evolution under the relatively low-temperature exposure conditions that are representative of the operating environment for in-core light water reactor components. The focus is on components fabricated from austenitic stainless steel. The model accounts for the synergistic interaction between radiation-produced vacancies and the helium that is produced by nuclear transmutation reactions. Cavity nucleation rates are shown to be relatively high in this temperature regime (275 to 325 °C), but are sensitive to assumptions about the fine-scale microstructure produced under low-temperature irradiation. The cavity nucleation rates observed run counter to the expectation that void swelling would not occur under these conditions. This expectation was based on previous research on void swelling in austenitic steels in fast reactors. This misleading impression arose primarily from an absence of relevant data. The results of the computational modeling are generally consistent with recent data obtained by examining ex-service components. The long-term objective of this research is to provide a predictive model of void swelling at relevant lifetime exposures to support extended reactor operations.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1214033
• Resource Relation: Conference: 17. International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems Water Reactors, Ottawa, ON (Canada), 9-12 Aug 2015
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
REACTOR COMPONENTS
AUSTENITIC STEELS
STAINLESS STEELS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
SWELLING
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
VACANCIES
FAST REACTORS
VOIDS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
CAVITIES
MICROSTRUCTURE
NUCLEATION
INTERSTITIAL HELIUM GENERATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
void swelling
reactor internals
life extension
modeling