HTGR Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Radiation damage and life-time evaluation of RBMK graphite stack

Platonov, P.A.; Chugunov, O.K.; Manevsky, V.N.; Karpukhin, V.I. (Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation). Reactor Material Div.)

Abstract

At the present time there are 11 NPP units with RBMK reactors in operation in Russia, with the oldest now in operation 22 years. Design life-time of the RBMK-1000 reactor is 30 years. This paper addresses the evaluation of RBMK graphite stack life-time. It is the practice in Russia to evaluate the reliability of the channel reactor graphite stack using at least three criteria: degradation of physical-mechanical properties of graphite, preservation of the graphite brick integrity, and degradation of the graphite stack as a structure. Stack life-time evaluation by different criteria indicates that the most realistic approach may be realized on the basis of the criteria of brick cracking and degradation of the graphite stack as a structure. The RBMK reactor graphite stack life-time depends on its temperature and for different units it may be different.

view the full text of this article (12 pages, format: PDF, size= 469kB)

key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
Specialists meeting on graphite moderator lifecycle behaviour. Bath (United Kingdom). 24-27 Sep 1995.
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
IAEA-TECDOC--901, pp:79-90