Elastoplastic Fracture Resistance Analysis of NPP Primary Circuit Equipment Elements.

Ñurrent calculation analysis approaches to the fracture resistance assessment for main equipment elements of the WWER NPP primary circuit are considered. It is noted that the solution of the problems of justifying safe operation, assessment of the integrity and extension of the lifetime of the reactor pressure vessel is essentially dependent on the results of calculations of the kinetics of the stress strain state, a proper consideration of the residual welding stress and strain fields, reliable evaluation of non-linear fracture mechanics parameters. A general methodology is developed for a calculated analysis of the fracture resistance of WWER reactor pressure vessels in the simulation of emergency cooling conditions. The main statements in the elastoplastic calculation of the kinetics of the stress strain state for reactor pressure vessels are formulated with consideration of the residual welding stress and strain fields, and the calculation procedure for determining the fracture parameters of the postulated crack is presented. Using the calculation methods and software product developed, a significant influence of such factors as consideration of the thermomechanical loading history and elastoplastic deformation of the metal in the vicinity of the postulated crack front, different ways of taking into consideration the residual welding stress level, the regularity and density of the finite element mesh in the vicinity of the calculated crack front, the procedure for calculating the elastoplastic fracture parameters in discrete finite element method models on the calculated fracture resistance assessment of WWER-1000 reactor pressure vessels is shown. It is found that the neglect of the loading history and residual stress level after heat treatment results in a non-conservative assessment of the fracture resistance for the collector-to-nozzle welded joint in the PGV-1000 steam generator in the simulation of the operating cycle of loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]