Corrosion problems and its prevention in nuclear industries

29 nuclear power plants with 2.56 million kW output are expected to be in operation by 1985 in Japan. The main problems of corrosion in the nuclear reactors in operation at present and promising for the future are as follows: corrosion, denting and stress corrosion cracking in the steam generator tubes for PWRs, stress corrosion cracking in SUS pipings for BWRs, sodium corrosion and mass transfer in FBRs, high temperature gas corrosion in HTGRs, and interaction between coolant, blanket material and structural material in nuclear fusion reactors. In LWRs, the countermeasures based on the experiences in actual plants and the results of simulation tests have attained the good results. Various monitoring systems and the techniques for in-service inspection and preservice inspection have accomplished astonishing progress. These contributed largely to establish the reliability of nuclear power plants. The cases of troubles in primary and secondary systems, the experiences of the corrosion of steam generator tubes and the countermeasures, and the denting troubles occurred in USA and the trend of countermeasures in PWRs, the cases of stress corrosion cracking in SUS 304 and 316 pipings for BWRs, and the problems of various future reactors are described. Unexpected troubles often occur in practical plants of large capacity, therefore the method of predicting tests must be established, and the monitoring of safety must be thorough. (Kako, I.)