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Effects of thermal annealing and reirradiation on toughness of reactor pressure vessel steels

Conference ·
OSTI ID:467939
; ;  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); and others
One of the options to mitigate the effects of irradiation on reactor pressure vessels (RPV) is to thermally anneal them to restore the toughness properties that have been degraded by neutron irradiation. This paper summarizes recent experimental results from work performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to study the annealing response, or {open_quotes}recovery,{close_quotes} of several irradiated RPV steels; it also includes recent results from both ORNL and the Russian Research Center-Kurchatov Institute (RRC-KI) on a cooperative program of irradiation, annealing and reirradiation of both U.S. and Russian RPV steels. The cooperative program was conducted under the auspices of Working Group 3, U.S./Russia Joint Coordinating Committee for Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety (JCCCNRS). The materials investigated are an RPV plate and various submerged-arc welds, with tensile, Charpy impact toughness, and fracture toughness results variously determined. Experimental results are compared with applicable prediction guidelines, while observed differences in annealing responses and reirradiation rates are discussed.
Research Organization:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research; Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-96OR22464
OSTI ID:
467939
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CP--0157-VOL.2; CONF-9610202--Vol.2; ON: TI97004274
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English