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Feasibility of and methodology for thermal annealing an embrittled reactor vessel. Volume 2. Detailed technical description of the work. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6886517
Program materials were three weldments fabricated from A533 Grade B class 1 plate material and Mn Mo Ni weld wire. Specimens fabricated from the three submerged arc weldments included Type A Charpy V-notch impact, small size tensile, and 1/2T compact tension specimens. After encapsulation, the specimens were irradiated at the UVAR to two fluence levels, 8 x 10/sup 18/ n/cm/sup 2/ and 1.5 x 10/sup 19/ n/cm/sup 2/ (E > 1 MeV). Specimens were subjected to sequences of irradiation and anneals and then tested. Metallurgial/mechanistic analyses were also performed. It was concluded that excellent recovery of all properties could be achieved by annealing at greater than or equal to 850/sup 0/F (454/sup 0/C) for 168 hours. Such an annealing resulted in ductile-brittle transition temperature shift recovery of 80 to 100%, and reirradiation after this annealing indicated that the ductile-brittle transition temperature shift appears to continue at the expected rate. Several drawbacks were identified for wet thermal annealing. A conceptual dry in-situ thermal annealing procedure was developed for thermal annealing embrittled reactor vessels.
Research Organization:
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Nuclear Technology Div.
OSTI ID:
6886517
Report Number(s):
EPRI-NP-2712-Vol.2; ON: DE83900744
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English