Effect of Cold Working and Long-Term Heating in Air on the Stress Corrosion Cracking Growth Rate in Commercial TT Alloy 690 Exposed to Simulated PWR Primary Water

The authors have previously reported that the number of cavities at or near grain boundary (GB) carbides in commercial thermally treated (TT) Alloy 690 increases with increasing cold work reduction ratio and with heating temperature in air. In the present work after very long-term heating in air, the number of cavities at or near GB carbides in cold worked commercial TT Alloy 690 was observed to saturate, and the shape and size of the cavities changed. The shape and size of cavities and cracks were categorized, and a GB defect index number was defined as a function of their number, shape and size. Stress corrosion cracking growth rates in a commercial TT Alloy 690 with various levels of cold work exposed to simulated PWR primary water at 633 K (360 °C) have been measured and correlated with the defined GB defect index number. Cavities and cracks in the same materials before and after long-term heating in air have also been correlated with the defined GB defect index number. For the heavily cold worked (≥ 15 pct) commercial TT Alloy 690, a good correlation has been observed between the PWSCCGR and the GB defect index number. By contrast, for lightly cold worked (≤ 10 pct) commercial TT Alloy 690, the SCCGR in the simulated PWR primary water was very low and the GB defect index number was usually zero, regardless of cold working reduction ratio ≤ 10 pct. It is concluded that the mechanism of SCCGR for lightly cold worked TT Alloy 690 in PWR primary water is likely to be different from that for heavily cold worked TT Alloy 690.