Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking (IGSCC) adjacent to girth weld
s in austenitic stainless steel piping systems has been a serious prob
lem in Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) plants in the U.S. for more than a
decade. Recent observations suggest that SCC problems also may limit t
he service life of many reactor internals in BWRs. A major research an
d development program on BWR pipe cracking was cofunded by the Electri
c Power Research Institute (EPRI), the General Electric Company (GE),
and the BWR Owners Group for IGSCC Research between 1979 and 1988 and
a similar program on reactor internals and vessel attachments began in
1989. A brief description is presented of the pipe cracking remedies
that were developed during the earlier program, and the prospects of a
dapting these remedies for the protection of internals and attachments
are discussed.