Annealing and Re-embrittlement of Reactor Pressure Vessel Materials - State of the Art Report

Annealing of a reactor pressure vessel embrittled by neutron irradiation constitutes the only known technique to restore the initial material properties, to an extent that depends on the annealing conditions and on the materials. This technique is used in WWER-440 type reactor pressure vessels. A very important related issue is the one of re-embrittlement behaviour of the material after the annealing. In this respect, there is an obvious link with radiation embrittlement understanding. This report compiles the vast amount of information on annealing and re-embrittlement, which is available in the European countries where such annealing operations have been performed. In addition this topic was also investigated in various TACIS-PHARE projects, and the conclusions are included here as well. To complete the state-of-the-art, the results from a number of annealing experiments carried out in US on “Western” type RPV steels have also been considered. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.

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