REACTOR PRESSURE VESSEL ISSUES FOR THE LIGHT-WATER REACTOR SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM

Abstract

The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Plan is a collaborative program between the U.S. Department of Energy and the private sector directed at extending the life of the present generation of nuclear power plants to enable operation to at least 80 years. The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is one of the primary components requiring significant research to enable such long-term operation. There are significant issues that need to be addressed to reduce the uncertainties in regulatory application, such as, 1) high neutron fluence/long irradiation times, and flux effects, 2) material variability, 3) high-nickel materials, 4)specimen size effects and the fracture toughness master curve, etc. The first issue is the highest priority to obtain the data and mechanistic understanding to enable accurate, reliable embrittlement predictions at high fluences. This paper discusses the major issues associated with long-time operation of existing RPVs and the LWRSP plans to address those issues.