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Davis-Besse Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Degradation - Overview, Lessons Learned, and NRC Actions Based on Lessons Learned (NUREG/BR-0353, Rev. 1)

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NUREG/BR-0353, Rev. 1 (PDF - 1.36 MB)

Publication Information

Date Published: August 2008

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Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Background

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) heads of pressurized water reactors (PWR) have penetrations for control rod drive mechanisms and instrumentation systems made from nickel-based alloys (e.g., Alloy 600) and related weld metals (Figure 1). Primary coolant and the operating conditions of PWR plants can cause cracking of these nickel-based alloys and weldments through a process called primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). In response to the detection of PWSCC at several plants, the NRC issued NRC Bulletin 2001-01, “Circumferential Cracking of Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Penetration Nozzles,” which requested information related to licensees’ programs for inspection of vessel head penetration (VHP) nozzles.