Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Crack growth and cracking behavior of Alloy 600/182 and Alloy 690/152 welds in simulated PWR primary water

  • Lim, Yun Soo (Nuclear Materials Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Kim, Dong Jin (Nuclear Materials Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Kim, Sung Woo (Nuclear Materials Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Kim, Hong Pyo (Nuclear Materials Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
  • Received : 2018.06.23
  • Accepted : 2018.09.15
  • Published : 2019.02.25
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Abstract

The crack growth responses of as-received and as-welded Alloy 600/182 and Alloy 690/152 welds to constant loading were measured by a direct current potential drop method using compact tension specimens in primary water at $325^{\circ}C$ simulating the normal operating conditions of a nuclear power plant. The as-received Alloy 600 showed crack growth rates (CGRs) between $9.6{\times}10^{-9}mm/s$ and $3.8{\times}10^{-8}mm/s$, and the as-welded Alloy 182 had CGRs between $7.9{\times}10^{-8}mm/s$ and $7.5{\times}10^{-7}mm/s$ within the range of the applied loadings. These results indicate that Alloys 600 and 182 are susceptible to cracking. The average CGR of the as-welded Alloy 152 was found to be $2.8{\times}10^{-9}mm/s$. Therefore, Alloy 152 was proven to be highly resistant to cracking. The as-received Alloy 690 showed no crack growth even with an inhomogeneous banded microstructure. The cracking mode of Alloys 600 and 182 was an intergranular cracking; however, Alloy 152 was revealed to have a mixed (intergranular + transgranular) cracking mode. It appears that the Cr concentration and the microstructural features significantly affect the cracking resistance and the cracking behavior of Ni-base alloys in PWR primary water.

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References

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