Prediction of the effects of thermal ageing on the embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels

A new method has been proposed for prediction of the effects of thermal ageing on the embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. The method is based on the test results for materials in two conditions, namely, aged at temperatures of temper embrittlement and annealed after irradiation. The prediction is based on the McLean’s equation and the dependencies describing thermally activated and radiation-enhanced phosphorus diffusion. Experimental studies have been carried out for estimation of thermal ageing of the WWER-1000 RPV 2Cr–Ni–Mo–V steel. The ductile to brittle transition temperature shift ΔTk due to phosphorus segregation has been estimated on the basis of experimental data processed by the proposed method for the time t = 5 × 105 h (more than 60 years of operation) for the base and weld metals of the WWER-1000 RPV.