Requirements for fracture toughness to satisfy LBB behavior of a pipe made of high chromium steel

Machida, Hideo*; Wakai, Takashi ; Sato, Kenichiro*

The volumetric test for piping in a sodium cooled fast reactor (SFR) is difficult from the poor accessibility. Detection of a crack, therefore, is difficult before its penetration of a pipe wall, an SFR has a strategy to detect sodium leakage from a through wall crack before fracture of a pipe. Plant safety is ensured by shutting down a plant as soon as possible to detect small quantity of sodium leakage even if a crack penetrates a pipe wall. Consequently, it is important to ensure establishment of leakage-before-break (LBB) in this strategy. Effects of fracture resistance curve on fracture strength of a cracked pipe made of high chromium steel (Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel), which is one of the candidates for fast reactor piping material, are evaluated in this study; and requirements for fracture resistance curve to achieve the LBB were proposed.