{"id":30664,"date":"2021-07-21T12:23:09","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T12:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sitepourvtc.com\/?page_id=30664"},"modified":"2023-09-22T06:13:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T06:13:25","slug":"materials-for-nuclear-reactors-material-problems","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sitepourvtc.com\/nuclear-power-plant\/reactor-and-power-plant-materials\/materials-for-nuclear-reactors-material-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Materials for Nuclear Reactors – Material Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"reactor<\/a>
The body of the reactor vessel is constructed of high-quality low-alloy carbon steel, and all surfaces that come into contact with reactor coolant are clad with a minimum of about 3 to 10 mm of austenitic stainless steel (e.g., 304L) to minimize corrosion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pressurized water reactors<\/strong>\u00a0use a reactor pressure vessel<\/a> (RPV) to contain the nuclear fuel, moderator<\/a>, control rods<\/a>, and coolant. They are cooled and moderated by high-pressure liquid water (e.g., 16MPa). At this pressure, water boils at approximately 350\u00b0C (662\u00b0F), and inletnlet temperature of the water is about 290\u00b0C (554\u00b0F). The water (coolant) is heated in the reactor core to approximately 325\u00b0C (617\u00b0F) as the water flows through the core. As it can be seen, the reactor has approximately 25\u00b0C subcooled coolants (distance from the saturation).<\/p>\n

The reactor pressure vessel<\/strong> is the pressure vessel containing the reactor core<\/strong><\/a> and other key reactor internals<\/strong>. It is a cylindrical vessel<\/strong> with a hemispherical bottom head and a flanged and gasketed upper head. The bottom head is welded to the cylindrical shell, while the top head is bolted to the cylindrical shell via the flanges. The top head is removable<\/strong> to allow for the refueling<\/strong> of the reactor during planned outages.<\/p>\n

The body of the reactor vessel is constructed of high-quality low-alloy carbon steel<\/strong>, and all surfaces that come into contact with reactor coolant are clad<\/strong> with a minimum of about 3 to 10 mm of austenitic stainless steel<\/strong><\/a> (e.g., 304L) to minimize corrosion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"reactorLow-carbon steel<\/strong>, also known as mild steel,<\/strong> is now the most common form of steel<\/a> because its price is relatively low while it provides material properties that are acceptable for many applications. Low-carbon steel<\/strong> contains approximately 0.05\u20130.25% carbon<\/strong> making it malleable and ductile<\/strong>. Mild steel has a relatively low tensile strength<\/strong>\u00a0but high toughness andt is easy to form. Special requirements for materials of reactor vessels include low activation capability (especially due to Co-60 formation). Examples of high-quality low-alloy carbon steels:<\/strong><\/p>\n