SSTC NRS Joined the Organization of the Summer School for European Scientists
Since September 2020, the SSTC NRS has been actively involved in the implementation of the international project “STRUctural MATerials Research for Safe Long-Term Operation of LWR NPPs (hereinafter STRUMAT-LTO).
The project is dedicated to the justification of the possibility of long-term operation of European NPPs for a period over 60 years. It includes studies of the synergistic effect of the interaction of nickel, manganese and sulfur on the properties of reactor vessel steel under neutron irradiation; applicability of existing embrittlement trend curves and curve master; application and improvement of small-size specimens testing technology; effectiveness of reactor vessel annealing to restore mechanical properties, etc.
In the STRUMAT-LTO team, the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety is responsible for the Work Package on dissemination of results, knowledge transfer, training and exercises. Therefore, as part of the dissemination of SRUMAT-LTO results, the SSTC NRS participated in organizing and conducting of the Summer School “Testing and Evaluation of LWR RPV Embrittlement to Support LTO”.
The event was held on May 27-31 at the UJV office located near Prague in a picturesque place on the banks of the Vltava River. Twenty-five young scientists from different countries involved in the safe operation of light water reactor vessels during design and long-term operation joined the Summer School.
The Summer School was focused on testing surveillance specimens and assessing the properties of irradiated vessel steel materials to justify the possibility of long-term operation for over 60 years.
Steels from different reactor pressure vessels with different chemical composition were used for testing. They were irradiated for a certain period of time in the Lyra-10 research reactor in Petten (Netherlands) and then transferred for testing to various research centers, including the Kyiv Institute for Nuclear Research.
The Summer School consisted of a theoretical part and practical classes. During the theoretical part, students were familiarized with the testing results, and during the practical part, they were divided into three groups with individual tasks. They carried out real testing in hot chambers, including sample preparation, testing, recording and documenting the results.
In the end, each of the groups made a presentation of the testing results to the experienced specialists. On completion of the Summer School, the participants were awarded respective certificates.