Adaptation of Crack Growth Detection Techniques to US Material Test Reactors

Conference · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 2014

OSTI ID:1134839

Palmer, A. Joseph; Teysseyre, Sebastien P.; Davis, Kurt L.; Rempe, Joy L.; Kohse, Gordon; Ostrovsky, Yakov; Carpenter, David M.

A key component in evaluating the ability of Light Water Reactors to operate beyond 60 years is characterizing the degradation of materials exposed to radiation and various water chemistries. Of particular concern is the response of reactor materials to Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC). Some materials testing reactors (MTRs) outside the U.S., such as the Halden Boiling Water Reactor (HBWR), have deployed a technique to measure crack growth propagation during irradiation. This technique incorporates a compact loading mechanism to stress the specimen during irradiation. A crack in the specimen is monitored using the Direct Current Potential Drop (DCPD) method. A project is underway to develop and demonstrate the performance of a similar type of test rig for use in U.S. MTRs. The first year of this three year project was devoted to designing, analyzing, fabricating, and bench top testing a mechanism capable of applying a controlled stress to specimens while they are irradiated in a pressurized water loop (simulating PWR reactor conditions). During the second year, the mechanism will be tested in autoclaves containing high pressure, high temperature water with representative water chemistries. In addition, necessary documentation and safety reviews for testing in a reactor environment will be completed. In the third year, the assembly will be tested in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR) and Post Irradiation Examinations (PIE) will be performed.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1134839
• Report Number(s): INL/CON-13-30755
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DCPD
In-pile crack growth
Reactor experiment