Expansion of high temperature creep test data for failure evaluation of BWR lower head in a severe accident

Yamaguchi, Yoshihito ; Katsuyama, Jinya  ; Kaji, Yoshiyuki  ; Osaka, Masahiko  ; Li, Y. 

After the Fukushima Daiichi (1F) Nuclear Power Plant accident, we have been developing a prediction method for rupture time and location considering creep damage mechanisms using finite element analysis for early completion of the decommissioning of nuclear power plants in 1F. We have also been obtaining material properties at high temperature near the melting point which are not provided in existing database or literature for the finite element analysis. In this study, we performed uni-axial tensile and creep tests for low alloy steel, Ni-based alloy steel and stainless steels and expanded existing database of material properties. Especially, creep data with longer rupture time at high temperature were obtained by a creep test equipment with a noncontact measurement system. To improve the accuracy of failure evaluation under severe accident conditions, we determined parameters of creep constitutive law based on the expanded database.