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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
Jean-Louis Bernard, Georges S. Slama
Nuclear Technology | Volume 59 | Number 1 | October 1982 | Pages 136-147
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A33059
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The need exists to define a fatigue crack growth design curve in an air environment for austenitic stainless steels in the temperature range of 300°C, which is the operating temperature range of pressurized water reactors. In the present study, elements to determine such a curve in a deterministic way are developed. In particular, effects of R ratio (Kmin/Kmax) are reviewed, and high R ratio tests, which were lacking, have been performed. To take into account R ratio effects, a relationship giving realistic predictions in accordance with high R ratio experiments is determined. A design curve, defined from a large compilation of results from several laboratories, allows a conservative calculation of all known fatigue crack growth tests on austenitic stainless steels in the temperature range of 300°C.