A fracture mechanics analysis of the PWR nuclear power plant reactor pressure vessel beltline weld

In this paper, a generic pressured water reactor (PWR) power plant reactor vessel is analyzed. The primary purpose of this work is to assure structural integrity of the irradiated reactor pressure vessel (RPV) beltline weld under normal operating conditions at the end-of-life, as specified by the requirements of 10CFR50, App.G. It is found that suitable margins of safety are maintained at the end-of-life (32 effective full power years or 1.25×1023 n/m2 inner wall fluence).