The fracture toughness of primary coolant piping made of duplex cast stainless steel can be reduced by thermal aging, at the operating temperature of a light water reactor, to that of so-called low upper shelf reactor pressure vessel steel. Compared to reactor pressure vessels, the crack detection ability of ultrasonic testing of primary coolant piping is inferior. It is therefore important to establish a standard procedure to assess the structural integrity of thermally aged primary coolant piping. Crack extensions on the inner surface of scale model primary coolant piping were measured in four point bending tests. The piping had been aged to simulate 60 years of operation at 325°C. The crack extension forces at the fronts of cracks were evaluated based on the measured tensile properties of the pipe material. They coincided well with the material’s Jmat-Δ a measured using a ITCT specimen. The J controlled crack extension was verified. Because the primary coolant piping has small mean radius to thickness, it will not be flattened so much as usual thin piping. It means that the crack extension force is less than that of thin walled pipe if the hypothetical elastic stress at the crack is same. Another point in estimating crack extension force is the tensile properties of thermally aged cast stainless steel. Methods of predicting the tensile properties and fracture toughness of thermally aged cast stainless steel have not been proposed until recently. By applying the proposed properties, which were confirmed to be appropriate by the test results of this study, and a recent study on crack detection ability, a simple procedure for assessing the crack extension force of cracks in thermally aged primary coolant pipe was prepared. It will be applied to the evaluation of structural integrity analyses for aged Japanese nuclear power plants.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2006 Pressure Vessels and Piping/ICPVT-11 Conference
July 23–27, 2006
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Conference Sponsors:
- Pressure Vessels and Piping Division
ISBN:
0-7918-4752-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Fracture Behavior of Thermally Aged Primary Coolant Piping Made of Cast Stainless Steel
Hiroshi Matsuzawa,
Hiroshi Matsuzawa
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, Tokyo, Japan
Search for other works by this author on:
Toru Osaki
Toru Osaki
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, Tokyo, Japan
Search for other works by this author on:
Hiroshi Matsuzawa
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, Tokyo, Japan
Toru Osaki
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, Tokyo, Japan
Paper No:
PVP2006-ICPVT-11-93033, pp. 355-361; 7 pages
Published Online:
July 23, 2008
Citation
Matsuzawa, H, & Osaki, T. "Fracture Behavior of Thermally Aged Primary Coolant Piping Made of Cast Stainless Steel." Proceedings of the ASME 2006 Pressure Vessels and Piping/ICPVT-11 Conference. Volume 1: Codes and Standards. Vancouver, BC, Canada. July 23–27, 2006. pp. 355-361. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2006-ICPVT-11-93033
Download citation file:
4
Views
0
Citations
Related Articles
Effect of Prestrain on Tensile and Fracture Toughness Properties of Line Pipes
J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng (August,2005)
Investigation of the Beltline Welding Seam and Base Metal of the Greifswald WWER-440 Unit 1 Reactor Pressure Vessel
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (May,2011)
Validation of RT T 0 for German Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,2008)
Related Chapters
Lessons Learned: NRC Experience
Continuing and Changing Priorities of the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Codes and Standards
Introduction and Definitions
Handbook on Stiffness & Damping in Mechanical Design
Subsection NCA—General Requirements for Division 1 and Division 2
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 1, Third Edition