In-service inspection and monitoring for reactor internals of KALIMER-600

KALIMER-600 is a pool type fast reactor which is operated with a sodium coolant as opposed to water for LWR. Sodium is opaque, chemically active with water and must be maintained in the liquid state. Because the sodium must be kept with a high temperature and in an inert atmosphere, all access must be via penetrations in the reactor head to prevent the ingress of air into the reactor vessel. The reactor internals of liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) are enclosed within the reactor vessel by the reactor head covers and submerged in a liquid sodium pool. The in-service inspection (ISI) is necessary to examine the integrity of the safety related internal structures of KALIMER- 600. Periodic in-service inspections for inside the reactor vessel are restricted because of the hot sodium hostile environment and the complicated close-up arrangement of internal components and structures. In this study, the ISI strategy for the internal structures of KALIMER-600 is proposed to permit a structural integrity throughout the life of the plant according to the guidelines of the ASME code