A Summary of Aging Effects and Their Management in Reactor Spent Fuel Pools, Refueling Cavities, Tori, and Safety-Related Concrete Structures (NUREG/CR-7111, ORNL/TM-2011/410)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: November 2011
Date Published: January 2012

Prepared by:
D.A. Copinger,¹ C.B. Oland,² and D.J. Naus¹

¹Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Managed by UT-Battelle, LLC
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6165

²XCEL Engineering
1066 Commerce Park Drive
Oak Ridge, TN 37830-8026

A.H. Sheikh and A. Prinaris, NRC Program Managers

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent review of operating experience at U.S. commercial nuclear power plants regarding spent fuel pool and reactor cavity leakage, boiling-water reactor Mark I containment torus corrosion and cracking, and aging degradation of safety-related concrete structures. The review was restricted to information in publicly available sources, including license renewal applications submitted by the licensees and safety evaluation reports prepared by the staff. Information compiled for spent fuel pool and reactor refueling cavity leakage focused on the cause and extent of leakage, the effects of borated water on materials, the effects on concrete and steel degradation, corrective actions, and the effects of material degradation on load-carrying capacity. The review of boiling-water reactor Mark I containment information involved identification of the causes of torus corrosion and cracking, the locations of corrosion and cracking, and engineering evaluations and acceptance criteria. The review of operating experience for age-related degradation of concrete structures concentrated on corrosion; loss of prestressing force; concrete cracking, scaling, and spalling, including freeze-thaw; loss of bond between the concrete and embedded steel reinforcement; loss of strength; and increase in porosity and permeability. The results of the review are summarized in a series of degradation occurrence tables and discussed in plant-specific case studies.