Advances in Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels
A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Metallic Functional Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2024) | Viewed by 25924
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels are one of the most sophisticated products of the steel industry. Low alloyed, low carbon ferrite perlite steels used for building pressure vessels. Two basic types of them exists: Cr-Mo-Ni and Cr-Mo-V alloyed steels, one subgroup of the latter also contains nickel. The quantity of the alloying elements is in the range of 2–5%. One difficulty in the production of the vessel element is the large size. Another is the strong limits of the polluting elements, and the welding together of them requires special technology. Finally, the insides of the vessels are clad with welded stainless-steel layers. The first generation of the vessels made from plates, but since about 1980, the vessels have been built only from forged rings to avoid vertical welds.
During their long lifetimes (nowadays 60–80 years are the requirement) they are exposed to high neutron and gamma radiation at elevated temperatures, low cycle fatigue, and corrosion. They must maintain the required safety properties (first of all, fracture toughness) during the whole service life. The mechanical properties of thick forged rings are changing in the function of the distance from the surface, since the cooling rate at quenching is much slower at the middle section than at the surface. The main environmental factor determining the safe lifetime is neutron radiation and it contributed with thermal embrittlement, low cycle fatigue, and sometimes with corrosion. Neutron radiation causes the strong embrittlement of the steels. Around 1990, it was discovered that Cu and P pollution increases radiation sensitivity. Few pollution elements can be highly activated and make maintenance difficult. Presently, It is discovered that Ni and Mn also can play major role in ageing. Little information exists on the effect of production technology (e.g., grain size).
Advanced nuclear pressure vessel steel production includes the development of the production technology and material science and aging assessment. Papers on the development of new type or further developed steels for the present and future generation of pressure vessels are welcomed. They can include the effect of alloying elements on radiation toughness, production development, studies enhancing long-term operation, service degradation mitigation, and embrittlement trend curves.
Dr. Ferenc Gillemot
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- present and future vessel steel production
- effect of alloying and polluting element
- effect of production technology
- toughness distribution
- microstructure and ageing
- vessel steel testing methods
- welding and cladding
- high temperature vessels
- mitigation of ageing
- trend curves
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.