RPV Irradiation Surveillance Programmes in China

Abstract

Abstract Nowadays, nuclear energy is very important to China. Since Qinshan phase I nuclear power plant, by the end of December 2018, 44 nuclear power units are in operation in the mainland of China, with a total power rate of 44645MW, all these units are pressurized water reactors except for two CANDU6 heavy water reactors of Qinshan phase III. The power rate of those units under construction is 16,921MW, and most of them are also pressurized water reactors. Pressurized water reactor is a proven reactor type, but the safety problems should always be paid close attention to, one of the problems is the safety of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). RPV is the key component in determining the lifetime of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants, because it is subject to the significant aging phenomenon of irradiation embrittlement and can not be replaced. For materials used for the RPV, sufficient strength and toughness are required to endure the operating conditions and the aging degradation. In order to ensure the safety of RPV, the international experienced practice is to set up the irradiation surveillance programme, including the design of the irradiation surveillance capsule, the irradiation surveillance program, the irradiation surveillance test and evaluation. This paper introduces the RPV irradiation surveillance programmes on pressurized water reactors in China.