Reaction kinetic analysis of reactor surveillance data

Abstract

In reactor pressure vessel surveillance data, it was found that the concentration of matrix defects was very low even after nearly 40 years of operation, though a large number of precipitates existed. In this paper, defect structures obtained from surveillance data of A533B (high Cu concentration) were simulated using reaction kinetic analysis with 11 rate equations. The coefficients used in the equations were quite different from those obtained by fitting a Fe-0.6 wt%Cu alloy irradiated by the Kyoto University Reactor. The difference was mainly caused by alloying elements in A533B, and the effect of alloying elements was extracted. The same code was applied to low-Cu A533B irradiated with high irradiation damage rate, and the formation of voids was correctly simulated.