HOME
Trend curve development for surveillance data with insight on flux effects at high fluence: damage mechanisms and modeling
Workshop: November 19-21, 2008
Scope of the Workshop
Most of the available data taken from surveillance programs of operating reactors do not reach the high fluences that are expected at end of life in particular in the perspective of the plant life extension policy. On the other hand, material test reactor (MTR) data reach very high fluence levels in relatively short times thanks to their high flux levels. In November 12–14, 2001, a workshop was held in the US under the auspices of EPRI–CRIEPI on dose rate effects in RPV materials. More recently, IGRDM–14 in Pittsburgh devoted a small special session to high fluence effects. This current workshop will give an opportunity to evaluate the status of the studies related to dose rate effects with a particular attention to the high fluence regime.
This workshop aims to bring together international experts in the field of radiation damage in reactor pressure vessel steels to establish a research program (list of actions to be shared between committed participants) that can unambiguously clarify the occurrence conditions of dose rate effects at high fluence levels. This is important in the perspective of providing trend curves of RPV materials.
The idea is to limit the number of presentations to 16 divided into four sessions and a final session on the third day leading to practical actions to be undertaken with the results expected to be presented at the next IGRDM–15 (Sept 2009). In case the proposed presentations exceed this number, it would be helpful if the potential participants cooperate to maintain this maximum number.
Session 1: Mechanisms, Modeling & Trend Curves
In this session, priority is given to today's understanding of dose rate effects and the way these effects are taken into account in present available models and embrittlement trend curves.
Session 2: Experimental Data
In this session, priority is given to experimental data that are in relation with the dose rate effects issue. This will include surveillance and test reactor data as well as annealing data.
Session 3: Microstructure
In this session, priority is given to microstructural investigations that are directed towards dose rate effects, in particular the radiation defect identification and characterization using the various techniques.
Session 4: Related issues
This session will include papers that not directly addressing dose rate effects but can provide some input to better understand the dose rate issue.
Final session 5 : Conclusions and recommendations + List of actions
One of the main objectives of this workshop is to provide a list of actions including some interesting RPV materials to be investigated in their as–irradiated as well as after annealing and their microstructural characterization. It is important to emphasize that this is not a regular IGRDM meeting but a workshop with the main objective of defining a list of actions to help understanding dose rate effects at high fluence. Therefore, all potential contributors are committed to the required information that can be presented at the next IGRDM-15