Embrittlement of nuclear reactor pressure vessels
Abstract
Neutron irradiation embrittlement could limit the service life of some of the reactor-pressure vessels in existing commercial nuclear-power plants. Improved understanding the of the underlying causes of embrittlement has provided regulators and power-plant operators better estimates of vessel-operating margins. This article presents an overview of embrittlement, emphasizing the status of mechanistic understanding and models, and their role in increasing the reliability of vessel-integrity assessments. Finally, a number of outstanding issues and significant opportunities, including a new fracture-toughness master-curve method, are briefly described.
- Publication:
-
JOM - Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society
- Pub Date:
- July 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s11837-001-0081-0
- Bibcode:
- 2001JOM....53g..18O