Interpretation of Nondestructive Magnetic Measurements on Irradiated Reactor Steel Material

Gábor Vértesy,Inge Uytdenhouwen,Antal Gasparics,Ildikó Szenthe

doi:10.3390/app11083650

Gábor Vértesy, Inge Uytdenhouwen + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083650

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Abstract

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 hysteresis loops. Result of MAT measurement was compared with the result of the traditional Charpy measurement. Good correlation was found between these parameters. One of the main findings of the present work is that the considerable part of scatter of points obtained by magnetic measurement can be attributed to local material inhomogeneity. Another important conclusion is that the embrittlement highly depends on the initial local material conditions, i.e., the initial microstructure, which are very different even within the same block of reactor steel material. By taking this into account, the magnetic descriptors obtain more precise determination of the local embrittlement than the traditionally used destructive mechanical parameters from Charpy data.

Highlights

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) play an important role in the energy production
The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is the most important, irreplaceable part of NPPs, which determines the possibility of long-term operation
A nondestructive magnetic method was applied on a reactor steel material for the inspection of neutron irradiation-generated embrittlement, andsteel results were compared

Summary

Introduction

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) play an important role in the energy production. Their safety is a very important aspect and because of this the inspection of their integrity is a permanent task. The extension of lifetime of existing NPPs has been accepted. This strategy ensures adequate supply of electric energy in the near future. Reliable tools are necessary for estimating the remaining lifetime of NPP components to ensure their long-term operation. The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is the most important, irreplaceable part of NPPs, which determines the possibility of long-term operation.

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