Authors:

Jack Herrema

Date Created:

Not specified

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About Paper:

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is an integral component of any nuclear reactor, but the current primary method of production, heavy forging, is limited to only a few facilities worldwide. This inherently causes long lead-times and high costs for forging an RPV, thus limiting the growth of nuclear energy globally. An alternative production method being considered is to forge the RPV in smaller parts, then electron beam (EB) weld them together. This process, however, comes with its own issues, primarily material inhomogeneities around the weld line which can negatively impact strength and susceptibility to radiation damage in-service. A potential solution to this problem is the incorporation of a post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) into the production process, where the welded steel is heated above the austenitization temperature for long enough that the entire sample can transition back to austenite, followed by slow cooling to minimize the formation of brittle martensite structures and encourage a homogeneous microstructure. This study simulates the effects of a PWHT on samples of SA508 steel, then performs the heat treatment to determine both accuracy of the simulation and efficacy of the heat treatment. This study will provide conclusions on and observations of PWHTs to normalize SA508 steel, and will make recommendations for proper heat treatment of larger scale RPV steel samples.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Jack Herrema