The paper starts with a review of our present capability to predict the materials degradation modes encountered in the current BWR and PWR reactor designs. This capability is the basis for any analysis of the future degradation problems (and their mitigation) in the current reactors and in the evolutionary water-cooled reactor designs. This section concludes with an overview of assessments of future materials degradation issues that might be expected in these water-cooled reactors. These preliminary discussions are then broadened to cover some of the more obvious technical problems likely to be encountered with the more advanced GEN IV designs, such as the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) and the Super Critical Water Cooled Reactor (SCWR). The article concludes with a brief discussion of some of the challenges facing the technical management/leadership, with some suggestions on how to overcome them. These challenges may become especially severe given the fact that the technical problems.

Citation: F. P. Ford, “Technical and Management Challenges Associated with Structural Materials Degradation in Nuclear Reactors in the Future", proc. 13th Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems, Canadian Nuclear Society, 2007.

Launch Paper: “Technical and Management Challenges Associated with Structural Materials Degradation in Nuclear Reactors in the Future",

Last Updated November 2007