Ultrasonic and Metallurgical Examination of a Cracked Type 304 Stainless Steel BWR (Boiling Water Reactor) Pipe Weldment.

摘要

An ultrasonic in-service inspection (ISI) indicated that a crack had developed in a 22-inch-diameter Type 304 stainless steel pipe manifold end-cap weldment of the Hatch-2 boiling water reactor. A section of the weldment was sent to Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for further examination. The ANL effort included ultrasonic examinations, destructive crack-depth measurements, metallography, degree of sensitization (DOS) measurements, and chemical analyses of material. The results showed that the extent of the cracking was significantly less than indicated by the ISI.