Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A perspective on creep and fatigue issues in sodium cooled fast reactors

  • Published:
Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Development of advanced materials alongwith improved high temperature mechanical properties, particularly creep and fatigue are important and play a major role for the successful development of robust, safe and economical sodium cooled fast reactor (SFR) technology. The components of SFRs operate in demanding environments at high temperatures under complex creep, fatigue and creep-fatigue loading conditions. Based upon the service requirements in terms of different environments, temperature and loading conditions, different materials are chosen for different components. Ti modified 15Cr-15Ni austenitic stainless steel is chosen for clad and wrapper tubes in the reactor core, which experience high fast neutron flux of ∼ 1015 ncm−2s−1 along with high temperatures. Type 316L(N) SS is used for out-of-core structural components like main and inner vessels, and sodium pipelines. For steam generators, modified 9Cr-1Mo steel is chosen for all the components, where liquid sodium and steam/water coexist. Some of the important experiences and exciting achievements in the areas of in-house materials development and its characterization in terms of creep, low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue properties important to design of reactor components for core, out-of-core and steam generator applications are described in the paper. Future directions for materials research and development activities involving critical issues like radiation damage resistance along with improved mechanical properties for advanced clad and wrapper materials necessary for achieving high fuel burnup and design life up to 60 years for out-of-core structural components leading to economical nuclear energy have been highlighted.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Baldev Raj, in Pressure Vessels and Piping: Codes, Standards, Design and Analysis, Eds. Baldev Raj, Choudhary B K and Velusamy K, Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, (2009) 1.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Mannan S L, Chetal S C, Baldev Raj and Bhoje S B, Trans. Indian Inst. Met., 56 (2003) 155.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Seran J L, Levy V, Dubuisson P, Gilbon D, Maillard A, Fissolo A, Touron H, Cauvin R, Chalony A and E Le Boulbin, in Effects of Radiation Materials:15 th International Symposium ASTM STP 1125, eds. Stoller R E, Kumar A S and Gelles D S, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, (1992) 1209.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Herschbach K, Schneider W and Ehrlich K, J. Nucl. Mater., 203 (1993) 233.

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Mannan S L and P. V. Sivaprasad, in Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Engineering, eds. K. H. Jurgen Buschow, Robert W. Cahn, Merton C. Flemings, Bernhard Ilschner, Edward J. Kramer and Subash Mahajan, Elsevier, New York, 3 (2001), 2857.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dubuisson P, Gilbon D and Seran J L, J. Nucl. Mater., 205 (1993) 178.

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. High Chromium Ferritic and Martensitic Steels for Nuclear Applications, eds. Klueh R L and Harries D R, American Society for Testing and Materials, Pa, (2001) 90.

  8. Kohyama A, Hishinuma A, Gelles D S, Klueh R L, Dietz W and Elrich K, J. Nucl. Mater., 233–237 (1996) 138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ukai S, Mizuta S, Fujiwara M, Okuda T and Kobayashi T, J. Nucl. Sci. Technol., 39 (2002) 778.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. R. Lindau A. Möslang, Rieth M, Klimiankou M, Materna-Morris E, Alamo A, A.-A. F. Tavassoli, Cayron C, A.-M. Lancha, Fernandez P, Baluc N, Schäublin R, Diegele E, Filacchioni G, Rensman J W, B.v.d. Schaaf, Lucon E and Dietz W, Fusion Eng. Des., 75 (2005) 989.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Choudhary B K, Phaniraj C, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Key Eng. Mater., 171–174 (2000) 437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Choudhary B K, Phaniraj C, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, ISIJ Inter. Supplement. 41 (2001) S73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Phaniraj C, Choudhary B K, Rao K B S, and Baldev Raj, Scripta Materialia, 48 (2003) 1313.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Phaniraj C, Choudhary B K, Baldev Raj and Rao K B S, J. Mater. Sci., 40 (2005) 2561.

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Phaniraj C, Choudhary B K, Baldev Raj and Jayakumar T, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 398 (2005) 373.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Phaniraj C, Choudhary B K and Baldev Raj, in Pressure Vessels and Piping: Materials and Properties, Eds. Baldev Raj, Choudhary B K and Anish Kumar, Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, (2009) 183.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Latha S, Mathew M D, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Trans. Indian Inst. Met., 49 (1996) 587.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Latha S, Mathew M D, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Trans. Indian Inst. Met., 58 (2005) 343.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Divakar R, Banerjee A, Raju S and Mohandas E, Proc. Conf. Physical Metallurgy Research, Techniques and Applications, Mumbai, India, December 2004.

  20. Mathew M D, Sasikala G, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Mater Sci Engg. A, 148 (1991) 253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Girish Shastry, Mathew M D, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Trans. Indian Inst. Met., 58 (2005) 275.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Sasikala G, Mathew M D, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 31 (2000) 1175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ganesan V, Mathew M D, Rao K B S and Baldev Raj, in Proc. 6th European stainless steel conference — science and market, Helsinki, 2008, eds. Pentti Karjalainen and Staffan Hertzman, (2008) 445.

  24. Srinivasan V S, Valsan M, Sandhya R, Rao K B S, Mannan S L and Sastry D H, Int. J. Fatigue, 13 (1991) 471.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Srinivasan V S, Valsan M, Rao K B S, Mannan S L and Baldev Raj, Int. J. Fatigue, 25 (2003) 1327.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Nagesha A, Valsan M, Kannan R, Rao K B S, Bauer V, Chris H J and Vakil Singh, Int. J. Fatigue, 31 (2009) 636.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Choudhary B K, Laha K, Nagesha A, Isaac Samuel E, Srinivasan V S, Chandravati K S, Valsan M, Kannan R, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, in Proc. Seminar on Materials R & D for PFBR, Kalpakkam, India, (2003) 121.

  28. Isaac Samuel E, Choudhary B K, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Trans. Indian Inst. Met., 58 (2005) 287.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Isaac Samuel E, Choudhary B K, Rao K B S and Baldev Raj, in Pressure Vessels and Piping: Materials and Properties, Eds. Baldev Raj, Choudhary B K and Anish Kumar, Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, (2009) 83.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Laha K, Chandravathi K S, Parameswaran P, Rao K B S and Mannan S L, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 38 (2007) 58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Albert S K, Kondo M, Tabuchi M, Yin F, Sawada K and Abe F, Metall. Mater. Trans. A, 36 (2005) 333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Nagesha A, Valsan M, Kannan R, Rao K B S, Mannan S L, Int. J. Fatigue, 24 (2002) 1285.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Vani Shankar, Valsan M, Rao K B S, Kannan R, Mannan S L and Pathak S D, Mater. Sci. Engg. A, 437 (2006) 413.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603 102, Tamil Nadu, India

    Baldev Raj & B. K. Choudhary

Authors
  1. Baldev Raj
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. K. Choudhary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. K. Choudhary.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Raj, B., Choudhary, B.K. A perspective on creep and fatigue issues in sodium cooled fast reactors. Trans Indian Inst Met 63, 75–84 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-010-0011-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-010-0011-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation