Irradiation tests of reactor vessel, reactor core/pressure tube materials using HANARO instrumented capsules (00M-02K and 00M-03K)

For the evaluation of the nuclear characteristics of the RPV (Reactor Pressure Vessel), reactor core, and CANDU pressure tube materials, instrumented capsules (00M-02K and 00M-03K) were designed, fabricated, and successfully irradiated at HANARO. 00M-02K capsule was designed to irradiate RPV materials at 290± 10 .deg. C and 00M-03K capsule to irradiate reactor core and CANDU pressure tube materials at 350 ±20 .deg. C and at 300±10 .deg. C, respectively. There are 5 independent electric heaters in the capsule mainbody for the control of specimen temperature. 14 thermocouples and 4 sets of Ni-Ti-Fe/Al2O3 neutron fluence monitors were also inserted in the capsule to measure the temperatures of the specimens and fast neutron fluences, respectively. Various types of specimens such as small punch, small tensile, MBE(magnetic Backhausen effect), ABI(automated ball indentation), 1/3 PCVN (pre-cracked V-notch), Charpy, and PCVN specimens of SA508 steel were inserted into the 00M-02K capsule and tensile, TEM, CB(cantilever beam), growth, and CT(compact tension) specimens of Zr-2.5Nb and stainless steels into the 00M-03K capsule. 00M-02K and 00M-03K capsules were irradiated in the IR2 test hole for HANARO of 24MW thermal power for 3 and 11 days, respectively. The maximum fast neutron fluence (E>1.0 MeV) of the capsules were obtained up to 3.3x1019 and 1.0x1020(n/cm2), respectively