Compared Modeling Study of Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking at Dissimilar Weld of Alloy 182 of Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor According to Hydrogen Concentration

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-646
Author(s):  
Omar F. Aly ◽  
◽  
Miguel M. Neto ◽  
Mônica M. A. M. Schvartzman ◽  
Luciana I. L. Lima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Slow Strain Rate Test ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Dissimilar Weld ◽  
Primary Water ◽  
Dissolved Hydrogen ◽  
Four Levels

One of the main failure mechanisms of pressurized water reactors (PWR) is primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC), which occurs in alloy 600 (75Ni-15Cr-9Fe) and weld metals such as alloy 182 (70Ni-14Cr-9Fe), and alloy 82 (73Ni-19Cr-2Fe). Corrosion cracking is due, for example, in reactor nozzles welded dissimilarly with alloys 182/82 between ASTM A-508 G3 steel and AISI316L stainless steel. Corrosion cracks can cause problems reducing nuclear installations safety and reliability. Hydrogen dissolved into primary water to prevent radiolysis, also may enhance PWSCC growth. This article begins from a study by Lima et al. (2011) based on experimental data from the CDTN-Brazilian Nuclear Technology Development Center, and related to a slow strain rate test (SSRT). This was prepared and used for testing welds in the laboratory, similar to the dissimilar weld in pressurizer relief nozzles operating at the Brazilian Angra Unit 1 nuclear power plant. It was simulated for tests, primary water at 325°C and 12.5 MPa containing four levels of dissolved hydrogen. Our objective in this article is to clarify, and discuss adequate modeling based on the SSRT experimental results, and to compare them with those from another database and modeling, of the PWSCC growth rate based on levels of dissolved hydrogen.

Effects of Dissolved Hydrogen on the Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of Alloy 600 at 325 °C

2004 ◽  
Vol 261-263 ◽  
pp. 943-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q.J. Peng ◽  
Tetsuo Shoji
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Alloy 600 ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Cracking Behavior ◽  
Primary Water ◽  
Dissolved Hydrogen

Primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) of Alloy 600 has been a great concern to the nuclear power industry. Reliable PWSCC growth rate data, especially at temperatures in the range of 290-330°C, of the alloy are required in order to evaluate the lifetime of power plant components. In this study, three tests were carried out in simulated pressurized water reactor (PWR) primary water at 325°C at different dissolved hydrogen (DH) concentrations using standard one-inch compact tension (1T-CT) specimens. The initiation and growth of cracks as well as insights into the different PWSCC mechanisms proposed in the literature were discussed. The experimental results show that the detrimental effects of hydrogen on crack initiation and growth reached a maximum at a certain level of DH in water. The experimental results were explained in terms of changes in the stability of the surface oxide films under different DH levels. The experimental results also support the assumption that hydrogen absorption as a result of cathodic reactions within the metal plays a fundamental role in PWSCC.

Benchmarking Study on Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics Analysis Codes xLPR and PASCAL-SP Considering Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Mano ◽  
Jinya Katsuyama ◽  
Yinsheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics ◽  
Primary Water ◽  
Failure Probabilities

Abstract Probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) is expected as a more rational methodology for the structural integrity assessments of nuclear power components because it can consider the inherent probabilistic distributions of various influencing factors and quantitatively evaluate the failure probabilities of the components. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed a PFM analysis code, PASCAL-SP, to evaluate the failure probabilities of piping caused by aging degradation mechanisms, such as fatigue and stress corrosion cracking in the environments of both pressurized water and boiling water reactors. To improve confidence in the analysis results obtained from PASCAL-SP, a benchmarking study was conducted together with the PFM analysis code, xLPR, which was developed jointly by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Electric Power Research Institute. The benchmarking study was composed of deterministic and probabilistic analyses related to primary water stress corrosion cracking in a dissimilar metal weld joint in a pressurized water reactor surge line. The analyses were conducted independently by NRC staff and JAEA using their own codes and under common analysis conditions. In the present paper, the analysis conditions for the deterministic and probabilistic analyses are described in detail, and the analysis results obtained from the xLPR and PASCAL-SP codes are presented. It was confirmed that the analysis results obtained from the two codes were in good agreement.

Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) of Nickel-Base Weld Metals in PWR Primary Water

2013 ◽  
Vol 747-748 ◽  
pp. 723-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru Xiong ◽  
Ying Jie Qiao ◽  
Gui Liang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Residual Stresses ◽  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Surface Condition ◽  
Cold Work ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Weld Metals ◽  
Surface Residual Stresses ◽  
Primary Water

This discussion reviewed the occurrence of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of alloys 182 and 82 weld metals in primary water (PWSCC) of pressurized water reactors (PWR) from both operating plants and laboratory experiments. Results from in-service experience showed that more than 340 Alloy 182/82 welds have sustained PWSCC. Most of these cases have been attributed to the presence of high residual stresses produced during the manufacture aside from the inherent tendency for Alloy 182/82 to sustain SCC. The affected welds were not subjected to a stress relief heat treatment with adjacent low alloy steel components. Results from laboratory studies indicated that time-to-cracking of Alloy 82 was a factor of 4 to 10 longer than that for Alloy 182. PWSCC depended strongly on the surface condition, surface residual stresses and surface cold work, which were consistent with the results of in-service failures. Improvements in the resistance of advanced weld metals, Alloys 152 and 52, to PWSCC were discussed.

Mechanical Stress Improvement Process (MSIP) Used to Prevent and Mitigate Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking (PWSCC) in Reactor Vessel Piping at V.C. Summer

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Ray ◽  
K. Weir ◽  
C. Rice ◽  
T. Damico
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Mechanical Stress ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Reactor Vessel ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
The Other ◽  
Water Reactor ◽  
Improvement Process ◽  
Primary Water

During the October 2000 refueling outage at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station, a leak was discovered in one of the three reactor vessel hot leg nozzle to pipe weld connections. The root cause of this leak was determined to be extensive weld repairs causing high tensile stresses throughout the pipe weld; leading to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) of the Alloy 82/182 (Inconel). This nozzle was repaired and V.C. Summer began investigating other mitigative or repair techniques on the other nozzles. During the next refueling outage V.C. Summer took mitigative actions by applying the patented Mechanical Stress Improvement Process (MSIP) to the other hot legs. MSIP contracts the pipe on one side of the weldment, placing the inner region of the weld into compression. This is an effective means to prevent and mitigate PWSCC. Analyses were performed to determine the redistribution of residual stresses, amount of strain in the region of application, reactor coolant piping loads and stresses, and effect on equipment supports. In May 2002, using a newly designed 34-inch clamp, MSIP was successfully applied to the two hot-leg nozzle weldments. The pre- and post-MSIP NDE results were highly favorable. MSIP has been used extensively on piping in boiling water reactor (BWR) plants to successfully prevent and mitigate SCC. This includes Reactor Vessel nozzle piping over 30-inch diameter with 2.3-inch wall thickness similar in both size and materials to piping in pressurized water reactor (PWR) plants such as V.C. Summer. The application of MSIP at V.C. Summer was successfully completed and showed the process to be predictable with no significant changes in the overall operation of the plant. The pre- and post-nondestructive examination of the reactor vessel nozzle weldment showed no detrimental effects on the weldment due to the MSIP.

Weld Residual Stresses and Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking in Bimetal Nuclear Pipe Welds

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick W. Brust ◽  
Paul M. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Residual Stresses ◽  
Weld Metal ◽  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Crack Growth ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Primary Water

There have been incidents recently where cracking has been observed in the bi-metallic welds that join the hot leg to the reactor pressure vessel nozzle. The hot leg pipes are typically large diameter, thick wall pipes. Typically, an inconel weld metal is used to join the ferritic pressure vessel steel to the stainless steel pipe. The cracking, mainly confined to the inconel weld metal, is caused by corrosion mechanisms. Tensile weld residual stresses, in addition to service loads, contribute to PWSCC (Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking) crack growth. In addition to the large diameter hot leg pipe, cracking in other piping components of different sizes has been observed. For instance, surge lines and spray line cracking has been observed that has been attributed to this degradation mechanism. Here we present some models which are used to predict the PWSCC behavior in nuclear piping. This includes weld model solutions of bimetal pipe welds along with an example calculation of PWSCC crack growth in a hot leg. Risk based considerations are also discussed.

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