BWR pipe crack remedies evaluation

This paper presents results on (a) the influence of simulated BWR environments on the stress-corrosion-cracking (SCC) susceptibility of Types 304, 316NG< and 347 stainless steel (SS), (b) fracture-mechanics crack growth rate measurements on these materials and weld overlay specimens in different environments, and (c) residual stress measurements and metallographic evaluations of conventional pipe weldments treated by a mechanical-stress-improvement process (MSIP) as well as those produced by a narrow-gap welding procedure. Crack initiation studies on Types 304 and 316NG SS under crevice and non-crevice conditions in 2890C water containing 0.25 ppm dissolved oxygen with low sulfate concentrations indicate that SCC initiates at very low strains (<3%) in the nuclear grade material. Crack growth measurements on fracture-mechanics-type specimens, under low-frequency cyclic loading, show that the Type 316NG steel cracks at a somewhat lower rate (∼40%) than sensitized Type 304 SS in an impurity environment with 0.25 ppm dissolved oxygen; however, the latter material stops cracking when sulfate is removed from the water. Crack growth in both materials ceases under simulated hydrogen-water chemistry conditions (<5 ppb oxygen) even with 100 ppb sulfate present in the water. An unexpected result was obtained in the test on a weld overlay specimen in the impurity environment, viz., the crack grew to the overlay interface at a nominal rate, branched at 900 in both directions, and then grew at a high rate (parallel to the nominal applied load). Residual stress measurements on MSIP-treated weldments and those produced by a narrow-gap welding procedure indicate that these techniques produce compressive stresses over most of the inner surface near the weld and heat-affected zones