Abstract
A review of the current state of knowledge on the effects of radiation on concrete in nuclear power production applications is presented. Emphasis is placed on the effects of radiation damage, as reflected by changes in engineering properties of concrete, in the evaluation of the long-term operation and for plant life or aging management of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Japan, Spain, and the United States. National issues and concerns are described for Japan and the United States followed by a discussion of the fundamental understanding of the effects of radiation on concrete. Specifically, the effects of temperature, moisture content, and irradiation on ordinary Portland cement paste and the role of temperature and neutron energy spectra on radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE) of aggregate-forming minerals are described. This is followed by a discussion of the bounding conditions for extended operation; the significance of accelerated irradiation conditions; the role of temperature and creep; and how these issues are being incorporated into numerical and meso-scale models. From these insights on radiation damage, analyses of these effects on concrete structures are reviewed, and the current status of work in Japan and the United States is described. Also discussed is the recent formation of a new international scientific and technical organization, the International Committee on Irradiated Concrete, to provide a forum for timely information exchanges among organizations pursuing the identification, quantification, and modeling of the effects of radiation on concrete in commercial nuclear applications. The paper concludes with a discussion of research gaps, including (1) interpreting test-reactor data, (2) evaluating service-irradiated concrete for aging management and to inform radiation damage models with the Zorita NPP (Spain) serving as the first comprehensive test case, (3) irradiated-assisted alkali-silica reactions, and (4) RIVE under constrained conditions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 368-383 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2016 |
Funding
To address these extended lifetimes effects, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), through the Long- Term Operations (LTO) Program, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), through the US Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, established a research plan to investigate the aging and degradation processes associated with NPP concrete. The basis for the plan arose in part from the Expanded Materials Degradation Analysis (EMDA) report on the aging of concrete, an effort jointly supported by DOE and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and performed by expert panels from US national laboratories, industry, academia, and international organizations. A key finding of the EMDA was the urgent need to develop a consistent knowledge base on irradiation effects in concrete (Graves et al. 2014). Although not part of the EPRI/LWRS plan, the NRC has initiated confirmatory research for the developing the technical basis for the regulatory framework of subsequent license renewal (see for example Section 6.2). The authors gratefully thank the following sponsors: US DOE, Office of Nuclear Energy, Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program (TMR, YLP, ABG, and IR); the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Japan (IM and OK); the EPRI Long Term Operations Program (JJW); the US NRC (MS); Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CA and MO); IETcc-CSIC (CA); and ENRESA (MO) for support of work on the effects of radiation on concrete. The authors also express their appreciation to Drs. Kevin Field and Elena Tajuelo Rodriguez for their review of the document and their helpful comments and suggestions.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| ENRESA | |
| EPRI Long Term Operations Program | |
| JJW | |
| Light Water Reactor Sustainability | |
| Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program | |
| US Department of Energy | |
| US NRC | |
| arose | |
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission | |
| Office of Nuclear Energy | |
| Oak Ridge National Laboratory | ORNL |
| Electric Power Research Institute | |
| National Research Council | |
| Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear | CA |