Strength Aspects of Safety and Life Extension of RBMK Reactors

RBMK channel power reactors belong to the one-loop boiling water reactors with graphite as a moderator. Equipment, pipelines and core elements are the main components of the coolant recirculation circuit. Analysis in terms of fracture mechanics shows that the circuit elements conform to the “leak-before-break” criterion, with the pipelines and equipment keeping their availability during the whole design operation period. The core is a critical component for the circuit availability.