Materials technology and the energy problem : application to the reliability and safety of nuclear pressure vessels

In the U.S.A. over the past few months, widespread plant shutdowns because of cracking problems has produced considerable public pressure for a reappraisal of the reliability and safety of nuclear reactors. The awareness of such problems, and their solution, is particularly relevant to South Africa at this time. Some materials problems related to nuclear plant failure are examined in this paper. Since catastrophic failure (without prior warning from slow leakage) is in principle possible for light water (pressurised) reactors under operating conditions, it is essential to maintain rigorous manufacturing and quality control procedures, in conjunction with thorough and frequent examination by non-destructive testing methods. Although tests currently in progress in the U.S.A. on large-scale model reactors suggest that mathematical stress and failure analyses, for simple geometries at least, are sound, current in situ surveillance programmes aimed at categorizing the effects of irradiation are inadequate. In addition, the effects on materials properties and subsequent fracture resistance of the combined effects of irradiation and thermal shock (arising from the injection of emergency cooling water during a loss-of coolant accident) are unknown. The problem of stress corrosion cracking in stainless steel pipelines is considerable, and at present virtually impossible to predict. Much of the available laboratory data is inapplicable in that it cannot account for the complex interactions of stress state, temperature, material variations and segregation effects, and water chemistry, especially in conjunction with irradiation effects, that are experienced in an operating environment