Pressure Vessel Fracture Studies Pertaining to a PWR LOCA-ECC Thermal Shock: Experiments TSE-3 and TSE-4 and Update of TSE-1 and TSE-2 Analysis

摘要

The LOCA-ECC Thermal Shock Program was established to investigate the potential for flaw propagation in pressurized-water reactor (PWR) vessels during injection of emergency core coolant following a loss-of-coolant accident. Studies thus far have included fracture mechanics analyses of typical PWRs, the design and construction of a thermal shock test facility, determination of material properties for test specimens, and four thermal shock experiments with 0.53-m-OD (21-in.) by 0.15-m-wall (6-in.) cylindrical test specimens. In the first experiment, initiation was not expected and did not occur, although there was a small amount of subcritical crack growth. In the second experiment, initiation of a semicircular flaw took place as expected; the final length along the surface was about four times the initial length, but there was no radial growth. The third and fourth experiments were similar, and the long axial flaw initiated in good agreement with predictions. (ERA citation 03:014893)