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.
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