Characterization of Flaws in U.S. Reactor Pressure Vessels: Density and Distribution of Flaw Indications in the Shoreham Vessel(NUREG/CR-6471, Volume 3)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: September 1999
Date Published: November 1999

Prepared by:
G. J. Schuster, S. R. Doctor, S.L. Crawford, A. F. Pardini

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA 99352

D.A. Jackson, NRC Project Manager

Prepared for:
Division of Engineering Technology
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

NRC Job Code L1099 and W6275

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Abstract

Characterization of Flaws in U.S. Reactor Pressure Vessels is a multi-volume report. Volume 3, this document, contains the density and distribution of flaw indications in material removed from the nonirradiated Shoreham nuclear reactor pressure vessel. The flaw indications were obtained from nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of weldment specimens. The first volume gives the density and distribution of flaw indications in the Pressure Vessel Research User Facility (PVRUF) vessel. Volume 2 contains a description of the removal of material from the PVRUF vessel, the conduct of confirmatory NDE techniques and metallographic analysis, and the confirmation of flaw rates for the vessel.

This volume provides the characteristics of the flaw indications in the Shoreham vessel and their density and distribution. This report also gives a description of the Shoreham vessel weldments and the approach to the research. The performance of the inspection system and the measurements made on the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) material are described.

Among the principal findings of this study are the more than 4000 detectable indications in the SAFT-UT inspections of the Shoreham RPV material. Where sizing results are reported, the SAFT-UT sizing rules were used to conservatively size indication zones to insure that all potentially large flaws would be included in the validation plan. Validation by destructive tests, construction radiographs, and complementary NDE techniques are planned for future work.