Influence factors of fracture mechanics analysis of reactor pressure vessel under pressurized thermal shock

When the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is subjected to pressurized thermal shock (PTS), the cooling water injected by the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) will generate a large temperature difference in the wall thickness of the pressure vessel. On the other hand, the fracture toughness of the RPV material decreases a lot under long-term neutron irradiation. Under this condition, the PTS transient may cause a rapid growth of defects in the inner surface of the vessel, resulting in failure of the pressure vessel. In this paper, the fracture mechanics analysis method of RPV under pressurized thermal shock is studied. The thermal analysis and structural analysis of the pressure vessel are performed by finite element method. The stress intensity factor and fracture toughness are obtained through calculation. At the same time, the influence factors of fracture mechanics analysis of RPV under PTS condition are analyzed. The effects of different crack size, crack type, load transient, and neutron irradiation flux on the PTS fracture mechanics analysis results are evaluated. Results show that the larger the ratio of length to depth for axial inner surface cracks, the easier RPV crack grows. Under small break condition, the circumferential cracks are safer than axial cracks. The longer the operating time, the more severe the embrittlement of RPV materials, which will lead to the failure of RPV more easily. For the two typical PTS transients studied in this paper, the re-pressurization condition is safer than the small break condition. The results can provide basis for structural integrity assessment of RPV under PTS condition. © 2019 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland.