Irradiation Programme in the Rheinsberg VVER-2 Reactor to Evaluate the Susceptibility of Russian Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels against Neutron Embrittlement

An extensive irradiation programme was performed in the Rheinsberg VVER-2 reactor from 1984 to 1988. The programm comprised 25 different heats from base or weld metal of VVER-440- and 1000-type reactor pressure vessel steels using specimens of variant geometry (CT, COD, tension, Charpy-V). Mainly, it focused on validating of the safety assessment procedure and on determining of fracture mechanics parameters in their dependence of fluence and thermal annealing.
At present the investigation of the irradiated specimen is still outstanding. In the unirradiated state all VVER-type steels investigated show good toughness and strength properties and are comparable with A 533 class 1 and A 508 class 3 steels. The scattering between the different heats of same materials is partly large and does not correlate with the chemical composition or the heat treatment. The results of irradiated specimens up to now do not always confirm the values which are obtained on the base of the valid safety assessment procedure in a conserva- tive wise. That supports the urgency to extend the data base for irradiated VVER-type pressure vessel steels.