Abstract
SCK•CEN performs environmental fatigue testing in simulated PWR primary water in the framework ofINCEFA-PLUS. INCEFA-PLUS stands for INcreasing safety in nuclear power plants by Covering gaps inEnvironmental Fatigue Assessment. It is a five year project supported by the European CommissionHORIZON2020 program that commenced in mid-2015 and in which 16 organizations from across Europeparticipate. Specifically, the effects of mean strain & strain, hold time, strain amplitude and surface finishon fatigue life of austenitic stainless steels in light water reactor environments are being studied, thesebeing issues of common interest to all participants.Extensive testing capacity is being solicited across various laboratories and across Europe in order to addto the existing amount of published data on environmentally assisted fatigue. To perform its allotted PWRfatigue tests, SCK•CEN upgraded an existing test facility in its corrosion laboratory. The originalinstallation consisted of a tensile load-line in an autoclave connected to a high-temperature, high-pressureloop in which PWR primary water conditions are simulated. The load-line and autoclave lid were fortifiedto allow for tension-compression testing. Simultaneously, a novel gauge strain extensometer was deployed.The paper introduces the INCEFA+ project, discusses the PWR fatigue system development at SCK•CENand shows some results obtained during INCEFA+ Phase I PWR fatigue testing by SCK•CEN.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Fracture Fatigue and Wear |
| Subtitle of host publication | PWR Fatigue Testing at SCK•CEN in the Framework of INCEFA+ |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 225-240 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Edition | 2019 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | ISBN 978-981-13-0411-8 |
| ISBN (Print) | ISBN 978-981-13-0410-1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 15 Jul 2018 |