Effect of lead factors on the embrittlement of RPV SA-508 cl 3 steel

Abstract This paper presents a project to study the effect of lead factors on the mechanical behaviour of the SA-508 type 3 Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) steel used in the reactor under construction Atucha II in Argentina. Charpy-V notch specimens of this steel were irradiated at the RA1 experimental reactor at a temperature of 275 °C with two lead factors (186 and 93). The neutron flux was 3.71 × 10 15 n m −2 s −1 and 1.85 × 10 15 n m −2 s −1 ( E > 1 MeV) respectively. In both cases, the fluence was 6.6 × 10 21 n m −2 , which is equivalent to that received by the PHWR Atucha II RPV in 10 years of full power irradiation. The results of Charpy tests revealed significant embrittlement both in the Δ T = 14 °C and Δ T = 21 °C shifts of the ductile–brittle transition temperatures (DBTT) and in the reduction of the maximum energy absorbed. This result shows that the shift of the DBTT with a lead factor of 93 is larger than that obtained with a lead factor of 186. Then, the results of irradiation in experimental reactors (MTR) with high lead factors may not be conservative with respect to the actual RPV embrittlement.