Minutes of Halden IASCC review meeting 28-29 September 2005

The objectives of the September 2005 IASCC review meeting were to discuss the results from the IASCC studies being performed in the Halden Reactor and to determine how the experimental programme should be continued. Results from the PWR (IFA-657) and BWR (IFA-658) crack growth rate studies on irradiated Compact Tension (CT) specimens) were presented. Preparations and plans for follow-on PWR crack growth rate investigations were presented. These include a new PWR crack growth experiment (IFA-670) with 6 CT specimens, and the dry irradiation of CTs prepared from various heats of 316 SS for use in future PWR crack growth rate tests. The initial results from a post irradiation annealing (PIA) study being performed at SCK.CEN in Belgium were presented. Results from crack growth rate tests being performed on specimens from the USNRC /ANL/HP dry irradiation programmes were reviewed. Results from the integrated time-to-failure study (IFA-660) were presented. A proposal for a crack initiation tests using O-ring specimens was discussed. An update of results of Slow Strain Rate (SSR) tests being performed at CIEMAT in Spain on irradiated IFA-618 materials was provided. The stress relaxation test, IFA-669, which is scheduled to begin early in 2006, was described. The development work being undertaken to optimise the performance of a Pd reference electrode was summarised. A pulsed positron beam with variable energy that is under construction at the Department of Reactor Physics at Chalmers University of Technology was described. Recommendations for ongoing studies and issues that could be addressed in future tests were discussed. (Author)