CRUD Source Term Assessment and Development for VERA

Abstract

In pressurized water reactors, corrosion of primary loop materials is an ongoing process, as primary loop components (steam generator, hot leg, cold leg, and core) are constantly exposed to the coolant. As a result of this corrosion, primary loop materials are released into the coolant in the form of aqueous metal ions and particulate oxides. These corrosion products are the source of materials that form crud deposits on fuel rod clad surfaces. The mass of corrosion products available to create crud will limit the rate and extent of crud buildup that occurs. This is commonly referred to as the crud “source term”. The major contribution to the source term mass comes from the steam generator, due to the large surface area exposed to the coolant. Steam generators are not identical; the wetted area exposed to the coolant and the alloy used in the steam generator tubes vary. Different alloys corrode at different rates; Inconel 690 corrodes at approximately one-third of the rate of corrosion of Inconel 600. The mass of corrosion products released from the steam generator also varies by the area exposed to the coolant. The release of these corrosion products depends on the local environmental factors within the primary loop, including temperature, pH, local fluid conditions, electrochemical potential, and thermodynamic solubilities of the species present within this system. As such, each PWR will have a different crud source term based on these plant-specific parameters. In order to accurately model and predict crud growth and issues that arise from the presence of crud (CIPS, CILC), the source of these corrosion product materials must be accurately modeled in a system mass balance. These models should be mechanistic, representative of the underlying physics phenomena, and account for the effects of the plant-specific design and operating parameters, including the alloys used, local temperatures, and fluid flow conditions.