A predictive model for steam generator degradation through PW SCC in roll transitions

The tubebundle of pressurized water reactors steam generators (SG) has been affected by numerous corrosion damages, in various nuclear plants, all over the world. One of the main problems is primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in the roll transitions of mill annealed Inconel 600 tubes mechanically expanded in the SG tubesheet. Multiple axial cracks are initiated from the primary side and grow rapidly through water; they further grow in length and propagate outside of the roll transition. In most plants, both in Europe and in the USA, short penning has been performed on the inside diameter of the expanded section of susceptible tubing. While the compressive surface layer induced by peening is considered to be efficient in preventing crack initiation, field experience showed that it did not prevent preexisting cracks from further propagation. For the usual case of SG peened after crack initiation, there is thus a remaining concern about the long term evolution of the population of cracked tubes. This paper presents a model to predict the SG degradation process in order to support both the maintenance policy and the longer term repair/replacement strategy