Construction of PWR plants. Primary equipments

Pressurized water reactors (PWR) constitute the largest majority of nuclear reactors worldwide. Within the primary circuit of such equipment, light water used as a heat transport and moderator medium collects the heat which is produced by the heart. The constructors of such reactors have to provide evidence that their equipment meet the required specifications. These requirements are pre-defined for each mechanical component in compliance with the regulation in order to meet not only normal operating situations but also exceptional or accidental ones. The equipment components of the main primary circuit are submitted to intense stress and corrosion deformations which are the consequences of the evolution of their characteristics under high temperatures and neutron radiation. (authors)