Abstract
The climatic conditions inside nuclear reactor containments are continuously monitored by the plant owners in order to e.g. maintain a suitable climate for the mechanical and electrical equipment. Due to the high temperatures, during operation, the concrete within the containment may act as a moisture source contributing to the humidity. To evaluate if, and to what extent, the concrete inside the containment influences the climatic conditions, the moisture distribution has to be determined. In order to do this, a measurement setup has been developed and tested. The results showed that the measurement setup was suitable for long term measurements of internal relative humidity in concrete. However, measurements close to the concrete surfaces showed tendencies of leakage, increasing the uncertainties of those measurements. The measurement setup was installed at three reactor containments in Sweden during the summer of 2012. Results from the monitoring campaign on one of the three reactor containments are presented in this paper. The results showed that the concrete was still drying after 30-35 years of exposure inside the containment.
Highlights
The reactor containment (RC) is the structure at a nuclear power plant (NPP) where the reactor is located
The results showed that the measurement setup was suitable for long term measurements of internal relative humidity in concrete
There are several types of NPP and each may have a different design of the RC, and the materials which are constituents of internal and external structures can vary depending on manufacturer
Summary
The reactor containment (RC) is the structure at a nuclear power plant (NPP) where the reactor is located. There are several types of NPP and each may have a different design of the RC, and the materials which are constituents of internal and external structures can vary depending on manufacturer. In Sweden two types of NPP:s are used, Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). In both types the RC-wall consists of a concrete wall with a steel liner. The steel liner is located in the concrete at a depth of ca. 300 mm from the inner surface and is used to ensure leak tightness. The concrete protects the liner from e.g. impacts and corrosion
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