4. Irradiation behavior of structural steels
This section describes the irradiation behavior of conventional industrial steels commonly used in water reactors. These include the ferritic structural steels used for the primary vessel and the austenitic stainless steels used to manufacture the internals.
4.1 Ferritic steel bowl
The vessel forms the second containment barrier and, by virtue of its size, structure and stresses, is a major safety component. Made of ferritic steel, it is a closed cylinder of typical PWR dimensions: diameter ~ 4 m, height ~ 12 m, thickness ~ 20 to 24 cm; total mass 350 to 450 t, with cover. In France, the vessel is made from 16 MnNiMo 05 steel (formerly 16 MND 5), equivalent to American A508 Cl.3 steel. Certain impurities are strictly controlled: P and S (< 80 ppm) for original...
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Irradiation behavior of structural steels
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Standards and norms
The construction and operation of nuclear facilities are subject to a vast array of standards and regulations, the details of which are well beyond the scope of this article. However, we would point out the existence of reference codes governing these installations in France, published by the AFCEN (Association française pour les règles de conception, de construction et de surveillance en exploitation des matériels...
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Association française pour les règles de conception, de construction et de surveillance en exploitation des matériels des chaudières électronucléaires (AFCEN - French association for design, construction and operational monitoring of nuclear boiler equipment) http://www.afcen.com/
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