On extending the life of nuclear reactors

Abstract

To extend the service life of nuclear reactors, witness samples from the shells of the core of the reactor vessel are placed in their core. According to the requirements in force in the industry, the reference samples are loaded into the reactor plant unloaded up to the design stresses. This can lead to a biased assessment of the possible extension of the reactor’s life. In connection with the above, in order to assess the mutual influence of operating factors and the stress-strain state of the base metal and welded joints on embrittlement, the reference specimens must be loaded with a force that causes the maximum possible stresses in the specimens during the operation of the reactor. On the basis of domestic and international experience, a test procedure, design and loading scheme for compact witness samples are proposed for modeling and assessing the mutual influence of operating factors and stress-strain state on the object under study (VVER power reactor vessel). For VVER RPVs, the duration of the additional service life should be confirmed by the justification that by the end of the additional service life, the fracture toughness values of the base metal and metal of the welded seams located in the irradiation zone will allow without destruction to withstand all operational and emergency loads, as well as loads at hydraulic tests.