Life extension approach to the reactor vessel of a nuclear production reactor: Revision 1

The nuclear materials production reactors at the Savannah River Plant have been in service for over 35 years. All the primary components of the reactor system are readily accessible for repair or replacement as needed except for the reactor vessel and thermal shields. The reactor vessel of a Savannah River Plant reactor is a cylindrical tank approximately 16 feet in diameter and 14 feet high and is not pressurized except for a 5 psig helium blanket gas in addition to the hydrostatic head of the heavy water (D/sub 2/O) moderator. The vessels are made of American Iron and Steel Institute Type 304 stainless steel fabricated into cylindrical shells with four to six wrought plates per vessel, 1.27 cm (0.5-inches) thick. The shells were made up in flat in two half-sections for later rolling and welding. The vessel bottom section containing the moderator effluent nozzles was welded to the shell in a T-joint configuration. All joining was performed with multipass Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding. The service life assessment of the reactor vessel addresses the corrosive effects of the D/sub 2/O moderator and the degradation of the vessel material properties through exposure of the vessel to neutron irradiation. Potential degradation mechanismsmore » include radiation embrittlement, Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking; and Irradiation-Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking. 15 refs., 11 figs.« less