Predictive Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel Irradiation Embrittlement Models: Issues and Opportunities
- UCSB
- ORNL
Nuclear plant life extension to 80 years will require accurate predictions of neutron irradiation-induced increases in the ductile-brittle transition temperature ( T) of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels at high fluence conditions that are far outside the existing database. Remarkable progress in mechanistic understanding of irradiation embrittlement has led to physically motivated T correlation models that provide excellent statistical fi ts to the existing surveillance database. However, an important challenge is developing advanced embrittlement models for low fl ux-high fl uence conditions pertinent to extended life. These new models must also provide better treatment of key variables and variable combinations and account for possible delayed formation of late blooming phases in low copper steels. Other issues include uncertainties in the compositions of actual vessel steels, methods to predict T attenuation away from the reactor core, verifi cation of the master curve method to directly measure the fracture toughness with small specimens and predicting T for vessel annealing remediation and re-irradiation cycles.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 959004
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Metals, Vol. 61, Issue 7; ISSN 0148-6608
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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