• 제목/요약/키워드: nuclear materials

검색결과 3,240건 처리시간 0.03초

ROLE OF GRAIN BOUNDARY CARBIDES IN CRACKING BEHAVIOR OF Ni BASE ALLOYS

  • Hwang, Seong Sik;Lim, Yun Soo;Kim, Sung Woo;Kim, Dong Jin;Kim, Hong Pyo
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제45권1호
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    • pp.73-80
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    • 2013
  • The primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) of Alloy 600 in a PWR has been reported in the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM), pressurizer instrumentation, and the pressurizer heater sleeves. Recently, two cases of boric acid precipitation that indicated leaking of the primary cooling water were reported on the bottom head surface of steam generators (SG) in Korea. The PWSCC resistance of Ni base alloys which have intergranular carbides is higher than those which have intragranular carbides. Conversely, in oxidized acidic solutions like sodium sulfate or sodium tetrathionate solutions, the Ni base alloys with a lot of carbides at the grain boundaries and shows less stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance. The role of grain boundary carbides in SCC behavior of Ni base alloys was evaluated and effect of intergranular carbides on the SCC susceptibility were reviewed from the literature.

Rubber Material Development and Performance Evaluation of Diaphragm Seal for Steam Generator Nozzle Dam

  • Woo, Chang-Su;Song, Chi-Sung;Lee, Han-Chil;Kwon, Jin-Wook
    • Elastomers and Composites
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    • 제55권3호
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    • pp.222-228
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    • 2020
  • Rubber materials, used in nuclear power plants, need high heat-oxidation resistance to curing or cracking under a heat aging environment. This is because they are applied to environments with high temperature, high humidity, and radiation exposure. Nuclear radiation causes additional hardening or degradation, therefore, rubber materials need radiation resistance that satisfies the general and any accidental conditions produced in the power plant. Therefore, in this study, we developed a rubber material with excellent heat and radiation resistance for the diaphragm seal of a nuclear steam generator nozzle dam. The rubber material greatly improved the reliability of the steam generator nozzle dam. In addition, 30 inch and 42 inch diaphragm seals were manufactured using the developed rubber material. A nozzle dam was installed in a nuclear power plant and tested under the same conditions as a steam generator to evaluate safety and reliability. In the future, the performance and safety of diaphragm seals developed through field tests of nuclear power plants will be evaluated and applied to currently operating and new nuclear power plants.

Effect of Loading Rate on the Fracture Behavior of Nuclear Piping Materials Under Cyclic Loading Conditions

  • Kim, Jin Weon;Choi, Myung Rak;Kim, Yun Jae
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제48권6호
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    • pp.1376-1386
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    • 2016
  • This study investigated the loading rate effect on the fracture resistance under cyclic loading conditions to understand clearly the fracture behavior of piping materials under seismic conditions. J-R fracture toughness tests were conducted under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions at various displacement rates at room temperature and the operating temperature of nuclear power plants (i.e., $316^{\circ}C$). SA508 Gr.1a low-alloy steel and SA312 TP316 stainless steel piping materials were used for the tests. The fracture resistance under a reversible cyclic load was considerably lower than that under monotonic load regardless of test temperature, material, and loading rate. Under both cyclic and monotonic loading conditions, the fracture behavior of SA312 TP316 stainless steel was independent of the loading rate at both room temperature and $316^{\circ}C$. For SA508 Gr.1a lowalloy steel, the loading rate effect on the fracture behavior was appreciable at $316^{\circ}C$ under cyclic and monotonic loading conditions. However, the loading rate effect diminished when the cyclic load ratio of the load (R) was -1. Thus, it was recognized that the fracture behavior of piping materials, including seismic loading characteristics, can be evaluated when tested under a cyclic load of R = -1 at a quasistatic loading rate.

Impacts of siltstone rocks on the ordinary concrete's physical, mechanical and gamma-ray shielding properties: An experimental examination

  • R.S. Aita;K.A. Mahmoud;H.A. Abdel Ghany;E.M. Ibrahim;M.G. El-Feky;I.E. El Aassy
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제56권6호
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    • pp.2063-2070
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    • 2024
  • A series of ordinary concrete is casted in order to examine the influence of the manganiferous siltstone rocks on the physical, mechanical, and gamma-ray shielding properties. Thus, a partial replacement for the coarse aggregates by siltstone rocks was performed during the fabrication of the currently ordinary concrete. The test revealed that raising the siltstone concentration improved the mechanical characteristics and density of the developed concretes. The addition of siltstone rocks at concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 wt% of the coarse aggregate concentration raises the density of the concrete from 2.05 g/cm3 to 2.3 g/cm3. Furthermore, partial substitution of basalt with siltstone rocks improves gamma-ray shielding properties. The experimental results for the linear attenuation coefficient show an increase in its value from 0.146 cm1 to 0.160 cm-1 when the siltstone concentration is increased between 0 and 40 wt% at 0.662 MeV. Furthermore, increasing the concentrations of siltstone affected the half-value thickness, which varied between 4.759 and 4.319 cm at 0.662 MeV. Therefore, the replacement presents a new alternative coarse aggregate that can enhance the mechanical and radiation shielding properties of ordinary concretes.

Fatigue crack growth characteristics of nitrogen-alloyed type 347 stainless steel under operating conditions of a pressurized water reactor

  • Min, Ki-Deuk;Hong, Seokmin;Kim, Dae-Whan;Lee, Bong-Sang;Kim, Seon-Jin
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제49권4호
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    • pp.752-759
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    • 2017
  • The fatigue crack growth behavior of Type 347 (S347) and Type 347N (S347N) stainless steel was evaluated under the operating conditions of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). These two materials showed different fatigue crack growth rates (FCGRs) according to the changes in dissolved oxygen content and frequency. Under the simulated PWR conditions for normal operation, the FCGR of S347N was lower than that of S347 and insensitive to the changes in PWR water conditions. The higher yield strength and better corrosion resistance of the nitrogen-alloyed Type 347 stainless steel might be a main cause of slower FCGR and more stable properties against changes in environmental conditions.

PWSCC growth rate model of alloy 690 for head penetration nozzles of Korean PWRs

  • Kim, Sung-Woo;Eom, Ki-Hyun;Lim, Yun-Soo;Kim, Dong-Jin
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제51권4호
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    • pp.1060-1068
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    • 2019
  • This work aims to establish a model of a primary water stress corrosion crack growth rate of Alloy 690 material for the head penetration nozzles of Korean pressurized water reactors. The test material had an inhomogeneous microstructure with bands of fine-grains and intragranular carbides in the matrix of coarse-grains, which was similar to the archive materials of the head penetration nozzles. The crack growth rate was measured from the strain-hardened materials as a function of the stress intensity factor in simulated primary water at various temperatures and dissolved hydrogen contents. The effects of strain-hardening, temperature, and dissolved hydrogen on the crack growth rate were analyzed independently, and were then introduced as normalizing factors in the crack growth rate model. The crack growth rate model proposed in this work provides a key element of the tools needed to assess the progress of a stress corrosion crack when detected in thick-wall Alloy 690 components in Korean reactors.

Assessment of radioactivity levels and radiation hazards in building materials in Egypt

  • Ahmed E. Abdel Gawad;Mohamed Y. Hanfi;Mostafa N. Tawfik;Mohammed S. Alqahtani;Hamed I. Mira
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제56권2호
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    • pp.707-714
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    • 2024
  • Different degrees of natural radioactivity found in quartz can have negative consequences on health. Quartz vein along the investigated Abu Ramad area, Egypt, had its natural radioactivity assessed. The HPGe spectrometer was used to determine the role played by the radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K in the gamma radiation that was emitted, and the results showed that these concentrations are 484.64 ± 288.4, 36.8 ± 13.1 and 772.2 ± 134.6 Bq kg-1 were higher than the corresponding reported global limits of 33, 45, and 412 Bq kg-1 for each radionuclide (238U, 232Th, and 40K). Among the radiological hazard parameters, the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) is estimated and it's mean value of ELCR (1.2) is higher than the permissible limit of 0.00029. The relationship between the radionuclides and the associated radiological hazard characteristics was investigated based on multivariate statistical methods including Pearson correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). According to statistical research, the radioactive risk of quartz is primarily caused by the 238U, 232Thand 40K. Finally, applying quartz to building materials would pose a significant risk to the public.

The conversion of ammonium uranate prepared via sol-gel synthesis into uranium oxides

  • Schreinemachers, Christian;Leinders, Gregory;Modolo, Giuseppe;Verwerft, Marc;Binnemans, Koen;Cardinaels, Thomas
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • 제52권5호
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    • pp.1013-1021
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    • 2020
  • A combination of simultaneous thermal analysis, evolved gas analysis and non-ambient XRD techniques was used to characterise and investigate the conversion reactions of ammonium uranates into uranium oxides. Two solid phases of the ternary system NH3 - UO3 - H2O were synthesised under specified conditions. Microspheres prepared by the sol-gel method via internal gelation were identified as 3UO3·2NH3·4H2O, whereas the product of a typical ammonium diuranate precipitation reaction was associated to the composition 3UO3·NH3·5H2O. The thermal decomposition profile of both compounds in air feature distinct reaction steps towards the conversion to U3O8, owing to the successive release of water and ammonia molecules. Both compounds are converted into α-U3O8 above 550 ℃, but the crystallographic transition occurs differently. In compound 3UO3·NH3·5H2O (ADU) the transformation occurs via the crystalline β-UO3 phase, whereas in compound 3UO3·2NH3·4H2O (microspheres) an amorphous UO3 intermediate was observed. The new insights obtained on these uranate systems improve the information base for designing and synthesising minor actinide-containing target materials in future applications.