CONTROLLING STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING IN BOILING WATER-REACTORS

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.