Piping for nuclear power reactors

The article reviews production technology, inspection methods, and general characteristics of pipes and tubing: 1 - for piping of the primary loop made of austenitic stainless steels type 304 and 316, and of piping running from the reactor to the steam generator or directly to the turbine in which case it is made of bimetallic materials for PWR and BWR reactors; 2 - for the cladding of fuel elements of PWR and BWR reactors which is made of zirconium alloys. Thus the technology of the Japanese forms ''Kobe Steel'' and ''Sumimoto Metal Industry'' is described as it is applied to the fabrication of fuel element cladding for the ''Fukusima-2'' and ''Mihama-2'' reactors. This has produced piping of higher corrosion resistance, of more favorable hydrides orientation and more stringent allowances in fabrication; 3 - for fuel element cladding of the magnox type for graphite reactors cooled with CO2, for gas cooled reactors with elevated coolant temperatures (over 5000) made of chromenickel steel stabilized with titanium or niobium; 4 - for the fuel element cladding of fast reactors that are cooled with liquid sodium, where the cladding is made of type 316 stainless steel. The particularities of fabrication of channel tubing made principally of zircaloy-2 and zirconium-niobium alloy are given as well as the quality control required for the metal. Data are given on the types of materials used, on the dimensions and pressures used in the channel tubing made of zirconium alloys