CORROSION FATIGUE OF HOLLOW SPECIMENS IN SIMULATED LWR WATER ENVIRONMENT

Pipe systems in nuclear power plants are subjected to cyclic thermal and mechanical loads from mixing points between hot and cool water and mechanically induced vibrations. The light water reactor (LWR) water environment flowing through the pipes at 300 °C with an internal pressure of 120 bars has a detrimental effect on the fatigue lives of the pipe systems. In this study, an experimental setup has been developed and designed to assess the corrosion fatigue lives of hollow specimens subjected to an alternating uniaxial cyclic load and simulated LWR water environment simultaneously. The corrosion fatigue tests have been conducted for both boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) water environments.
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