Irradiation Temperature, Flux and Spectrum Effects

Although great progress has been made in understanding the irradiation behaviour of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels, many aspects are still not fully understood. Large amount of data has been generated for understanding the effects of different irradiation conditions on material properties. The data needed for the long term operation of RPVs is almost always created by accelerated irradiations in test reactors, and due to insufficient knowledge on the damage interaction between the material and the high energy neutrons the potential bias of the conclusions on material properties in non-accelerated irradiation conditions can not be excluded. Important parameters for the extrapolation of results from accelerated irradiations to typical power irradiation conditions are the irradiation temperature, the neutron flux and the neutron spectrum. In particular, the effect of neutron flux on embrittlement behaviour is considered a complex phenomenon, and it seems to be dependent on the alloy composition, the neutron fluence range and the irradiation temperature. This paper will present the current knowledge on temperature, flux and spectrum effects, based on a recent literature survey and other relevant publications on the subject. It will explore the implications these effects may have for the safety evaluation of aged RPVs, in special for those exposed to long irradiation periods.

BALLESTEROS AVILA Antonio;  AHLSTRAND Ralf;  BRUYNOOGHE Christiane;  CHERNOBAEVA A.;  KEVORKYAN Y.;  ERAK D.;  ZURKO D.; 

2011-08-02

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

JRC63603

0149-1970,   

www.elsevier.com/locate/pnucene,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC63603,   

10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.05.022,