STEAM-GENERATOR TUBE INTEGRITY PROGRAM

The degradation of steam generator tubes in pressurized water nuclear reactors continues to be a serious problem, and the US Nuclear Regulat ory Commission (NRC) is developing a performance-based rule and regula tory guide for steam generator tube integrity. To support the evaluati on of industry-proposed implementation of these performance-based crit eria, the NRC is sponsoring a new research program at Argonne National Laboratory on steam generator tubing degradation. The objective of th e new program is to provide the necessary experimental data and predic tive correlations and models that will permit the NRC to independently evaluate the integrity of steam generator tubes. The technical work i n the program is divided into four tasks, (1) assessment of inspection reliability, (2) research on in-service inspection technology, (3) re search on degradation modes and integrity, and (4) development of meth odology and technical assessments for current and emerging regulatory issues. The objectives of and planned research activities under each o f these four tasks are described here.