Potential effect of fracture technology on IPTS (Integrated Pressurized Thermal Shock) analysis (Fracture toughness: K sub la and K sub lc and warm prestressing)

Conference · Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6465534

Dickson, T L

A major nuclear plant life extension issue to be confronted in the 1990's is pressure vessel integrity for the pressurized thermal shock (PTS) loading condition. Governing criteria associated with PTS are included in The PTS Rule'' (10 CFR 50.61) and Regulatory Guide 1.154: Format and Content of Plant-Specific Pressurized Thermal Shock Safety Analysis Reports for Pressurized Water Reactors. The results of the Integrated Pressurized Water Reactors. The results of the Integrated Pressurized Thermal Shock (IPTS) Program, along with risk assessments and fracture analyses performed by the NRC and reactor system vendors, contributed to the derivation of the PTS Rule. Over the last several years, the Heavy Section Steel Technology (HSST) Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has performed a series of large-scale fracture-mechanics experiments. The Thermal Shock Experiments (TSE), Pressurized Thermal Shock Experiments (PTSE), and Wide Plate Experiments (WPE) produced K{sub IC} and K{sub Ia} data that suggest increased mean K{sub IC} and K{sub Ia} curves relative to the ones used in the IPTS study. Also, the PTSE and WPE have demonstrated that prototypical nuclear reactor pressure vessel steels are capable of arresting a propagating crack at K{sub I} values considerably above 220 MPa{radical}m, the implicit limit of the ASME Code and the limit used in the IPTS studies. This document provides a discussion of the results of these experiments.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: NRC
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6465534
• Report Number(s): CONF-9010196-2-Vugraphs; ON: DE91000396
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
ALLOYS
CONTAINERS
CRACK PROPAGATION
CRACKS
DATA
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FRACTURE MECHANICS
INFORMATION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
NUMERICAL DATA
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE VESSELS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SERVICE LIFE
STANDARDS
STEELS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
THERMAL SHOCK
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS