PRTR ZIRCALOY-2 PRESSURE TUBE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM--ITS HISTORY AND UTILITY

Technical Report · Sat Aug 10 04:00:00 EDT 1963

OSTI ID:4064773

Fraser, M C

A description of the PRTR Zircaloy-2 pressure tube surveillance program and a summary of the information collected are presented. Information and data that accrued under the existing charter of the program showed that: creep of the tubes in-reactor is not occurring, the hoop strength is sufficient for the tubes in-reactor to sustain about 3 times the PRTR operating hydrostatic pressure, the tubes in-reactor appear to have a low notch sensitivity, about one in every five fret marks studied had abnormal hydride concentrations, there was no case where a hydrided fret mark reduced the load capacity of a burst test specimen, cold- worked portions of the tubes appeared unable to arrest a traveling crack whereas annealed portions were capable of arresting a traveling crack, and the PRTR environment changes the annealed material properties in the direction of the cold- worked material properties. It is proposed that the scope of the destructive examination portion of the PRTR surveillance program be changed to a minlmum tube discharge rate of one tube every 90 days at rated power rather than one tube per operating month. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(45-1)-1350
• NSA Number: NSA-18-015525
• OSTI ID: 4064773
• Report Number(s): HW-78456
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ANNEALING
COLD WORKING
CRACKS
CREEP
ENVIRONMENT
FAILURES
FUELS
HYDRIDES
INSPECTION
METALLURGY
PLUTONIUM
PRESSURE
PRTR
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SENSITIVITY
TESTING
TUBES
VARIATIONS
ZIRCALOY