The microstructure evolution of nuclear reactor pressure vessel A508-3 steel irradiated by heavy ions up to 1.5 dpa was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). According to the TEM analysis, black dots were widely distributed in the irradi...
Nondestructive magnetic measurement methods can be successfully applied to determine the embrittlement of nuclear pressure vessel steel caused by neutron irradiation. It was found in previous works that reasonable correlation could be obtained betwee...
The influence of neutron irradiation degradation on reactor pressure vessel steel was investigated. Large blocks were irradiated by neutrons in the BR2 reactor at a low irradiation temperature. They were measured by a nondestructive magnetic method,...
Specimens of the SA508-IV reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel, containing 3.26 wt. % Ni and just 0.041 wt. % Cu, were irradiated at 290 °C to different displacement per atom (dpa) with 3.5 MeV Fe ions (Fe2+). Microstructure observation and nano-inden...
A novel nondestructive method called magnetic adaptive testing has been previously applied to detect the neutron-irradiation-generated structural changes in reactor pressure vessel steel material. This method has been found to be a useful tool for th...
Safe and long term operation of nuclear reactors is one of the most discussed challenges in nuclear power engineering. The radiation degradation of nuclear design materials limits the operational lifetime of all nuclear installations or at least decr...
Ion irradiation is a promising tool to emulate neutron-irradiation effects on reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels, especially in the situation of limited availability of suitable neutron-irradiated material. This approach requires the consideration...
The existing knowledge about the effect of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of reactor pressure vessel steels under reactor service conditions relies to a large extent on accelerated irradiations realized by exposing steel samples to...
Ion irradiation combined with nanoindentation is a promising tool for studying irradiation-induced hardening of nuclear materials, including reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. For RPV steels, the major sources of hardening are nm-sized irradiation...
This paper presents the results of atom probe tomography studies on radiation-induced phase formation in light-water reactor pressure vessel steels after neutron irradiation under various conditions in comparison with the literature data. The given i...
This study investigates the effects of Ar ion irradiation on the mechanical properties and microstructure of SA508 Grade 3 Class 1 and Class 2 reactor pressure vessel steels. Three different fluence levels of Ar ion irradiation were applied to simula...
In this paper the phase formation and mechanical properties of VVER-type reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels with various Ni (1.57–5.95 wt.%) and Mn (0.03–0.76 wt.%) content after neutron irradiation up to fluences in the range of (53&nd...
Low-alloy reactor pressure vessel steels have a rather low susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in a boiling water reactor (BWR) environment if the high-temperature water contains no anionic impurities. Recent investigations revealed tha...
The wall, made of ferromagnetic steel, of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel is covered by an austenitic (very weakly ferromagnetic) cladding. In this work, we investigated how the base material and the cladding can be inspected separately from each o...
The nuclear reactor pressure vessel is an important component of a nuclear power plant. It has been used in harsh environments such as high temperature, high pressure, neutron irradiation, thermal aging, corrosion and fatigue for a long time, which p...
The aim of this work is to present a new analytical model to evaluate jointly the mechanical integrity and the fitness-for-service of nuclear reactor pressure-vessels steels. This new methodology integrates a robust and regulated irradiation embrittl...
The influence of surface roughness on magnetic measurements of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels was investigated by applying two types of magnetic, non-destructive measurement on nuclear reactor pressure vessel steel samples: magnetic adaptive testing...
Surface quality measures such as roughness, and especially its uncertain character, affect most magnetic non-destructive testing methods and limits their performance in terms of an achievable signal-to-noise ratio and reliability. This paper is prima...
The nondestructive determination of the neutron-irradiation-induced embrittlement of nuclear reactor pressure-vessel steel is a very important and recent problem. Within the scope of the so-called NOMAD project funded by the Euratom research and trai...
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the microstructural characteristics and chemical composition of base and weld materials from reactor pressure vessels in the first (units 1 and 2) and second (unit 8) generations of Russian VVER 440 rea...
The neutron irradiation embrittlement of four different types of nuclear pressure vessel materials (three base metals and one weld material) were investigated by a magnetic nondestructive testing method, magnetic adaptive testing (MAT). The method is...
Degradation of nuclear pressure vessel steel materials, 15Kh2NMFA type and A508 Cl2 type (definition is given in the text) were investigated by a novel magnetic nondestructive testing method, so-called Magnetic Adaptive Testing (MAT), which is based...
Advanced SA508-4N RPV steel samples, unadded, P-added, and P+Ce-added, are investigated on their hot ductility behavior. Hot tensile tests are carried out in the temperature range of 750 to 1000 °C through a Gleeble 1500D machine. It is demonstra...
The paper presents ground reasoning and results of experiments and modeling of heavy hollow ingot manufacturing using advanced electroslag technology. The requirements for ingots for huge diameter reactor pressure vessels include high density, homoge...
In the 21st century, there is an increasing need for high-capacity, high-efficiency, and environmentally friendly power generation systems. The environmentally friendly integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) technology has received particular...
Reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels are highly susceptible to irradiation embrittlement due to prolonged exposure to high temperature, high pressure, and intense neutron irradiation. This leads to the shift in nil-ductility transition reference temp...
The review starts by highlighting the significance of nuclear power plants in the contemporary world, especially its indispensable role in the global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Then, it describes the impact of irradiation on the microstructure...
Grade 91 steel (modified 9Cr-1Mo steel) is considered a prospective material for the Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant for application in reactor pressure vessels at temperatures of up to 650 °C. In this study, heat treatment of Grade 91 steel was...
The embrittlement of two types of nuclear pressure vessel steel, 15Kh2NMFA and A508 Cl.2, was studied using two different methods of magnetic nondestructive testing: micromagnetic multiparameter microstructure and stress analysis (3MA-X8) and magneti...
In this work, the stabilities of secondary phases, including carbides, brittle phases, and inclusions, were simulated by computational thermodynamics. Calphad strategical optimization is preferable for all steel alloys regarding energy resource consu...
Understanding the mechanical behaviour of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels at high fluences has become an important topic in regard to Long-Term Operations (LTO) of existing nuclear power plants (NPP). The effectiveness of thermal annealing treat...
The fracture toughness of nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel is an important basis for the structural integrity evaluation of equipment. SA508 Gr.4N (Cr–Ni–Mo) low-alloy steel has attracted people’s attention because of its...
Neutron irradiation-generated embrittlement of nuclear pressure vessel steel was inspected by a nondestructive magnetic method, called magnetic adaptive testing (MAT). This method is based on systematic measurement and evaluation of minor magnetic hy...
Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) is widely recognized as a powerful characterization technique in all types of radiation damage studies in nuclear materials. In the past, fission reactor irradiation of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels was...
Specimens of 15Kh2MFAA steel used for reactor pressure vessels V-213 (VVER-440 reactor) were studied by positron annihilation techniques in terms of their radiation resistance and structural recovery after thermal treatment. The radiation load was si...
An unjustified simplification of the local quantitative criterion regarding cleavage nucleation is a key problem in the utilisation of the Local Approach to Fracture (LA), particularly to predict the fracture toughness within the ductile-to-brittle t...
The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is one of the most important elements of a nuclear power plant (NPP). The RPV determines the plant operational lifetime since it is not replaceable economically. The purpose of the RPV steel study and enhancement to...
The effect of peak temperatures on the grain growth, microstructure transformation and Vickers hardness of the weld coarse grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of SA508 Gr.4N steel for nuclear reactor pressure vessel was studied. The results show that di...
The use of mini-CT specimens for the fracture characterization of structural steels is currently a topic of great interest from both scientific and technical points of view, mainly driven by the needs and requirements of the nuclear industry. In fact...
24 July 2020
Assessing workers’ safety and health during the decommissioning of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is an important procedure in terms of occupational radiation exposure (ORE). Optimizing the radiation exposure through the “As Low As Reasonabl...
This paper is dedicated to an experimental program focused on the evaluation of microstructure and failure mechanisms of WWER 440 type nuclear reactor pressure vessel cladding made from Sv 08Kh19N10G2B stainless steel. Static fracture toughness tests...
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is an important destruction form of materials such as stainless steel, nickel-based alloy and their welded components in nuclear reactor pressure vessels and pipes. The existing popular quantitative prediction models o...
Additive manufacturing processes such as selective laser melting are rapidly gaining a foothold in safety-relevant areas of application such as powerplants or nuclear facilities. Special requirements apply to these applications. A certain material be...
The nanoscale Cu-rich precipitates (CRPs) are one of the most critical microstructural features responsible for degrading the mechanical properties of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. The prospect of the rapid regeneration of the service perform...
LVR-15 is a light-water-tank-type research reactor placed in a stainless-steel vessel under a shielding cover located in the Research Centre Rez (CVR) near Prague. It is operated at a steady-state power of up to 10 MWt under atmospheric pressure and...
Assessing the embrittlement and hardening of reactor pressure vessel steels is critical for the extension of the service lifetime of nuclear power plants. This paper summarises the tensile test results on the irradiation behaviour of realistic VVER-1...
Nanoscale Cu-rich precipitates (CRPs) play a crucial role in the irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs), and binary Fe-Cu alloys serve as practical models to study the evolution of these precipitates. This study investigates the...
Nitrogen-containing 0Cr19Ni10 (304 NG) austenitic stainless steel plays a significant role in Generation IV reactor pressure vessels. The structure and properties of 304 NG are heavily influenced by the grain boundaries (GBs), especially the initial...
Ductile-to-brittle-transition refers to observable change in fracture mode with decreasing temperature—from slow ductile crack growth to rapid cleavage. It is exhibited by body-centred cubic metals and presents a challenge for integrity assessment of...
Dissimilar metal welds (DMWs) are a key design feature in nuclear power systems, typically involving ferritic low-alloy steels (LAS), stainless steels (SS), and nickel-base alloys. They are, however, a potential concern regarding the structural integ...
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