Effect of Water Chemistry on Crack Growth Rates in Neutron Irradiated X-750 and XM-19
The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) National Science User Facility (NSUF) was used to study the effect of neutron damage on crack growth rates (CGR) under simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) water chemistry conditions using a fast neutron spectrum to accelerate the damage process. Nickel based Alloy X-750 and XM-19 were irradiated in the ATR center flux trap (CFT), with this experiment marking the first civilian project to utilize this position within the reactor. 0.4T-CT specimens were used to study crack growth rates for two sample fluences (~1.9 x 1020 n/cm2 and ~9.5 x 1020 n/cm2, E > 1MeV) in both normal water chemistry (NWC) at 2.5 ppm O2 and hydrogen water chemistry (HWC) at ~80 ppb H2. A decrease in CGR was observed with HWC for both alloys with the average ratio (CGR in NWC/CGR in HWC) being a factor of 281 for the XM-19 samples and a factor of 27.8 for the X-750 samples. Observed CGRs in this study showed little difference compared to non-irradiated samples (the non-irradiated XM-19 was 20% cold worked), suggesting limited sensitivity of these susceptible alloys to irradiation effects. The CGR response to varying environmental electrochemical potential (ECP) and water purity will be presented.