Researchers used neutron diffraction to map residual stress in stainless steel canisters that store spent nuclear fuel. Residual stress is one of the conditions necessary for chloride induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC), which is the subject of ongoing research regarding aging management of canisters licensed to store and transport dry, spent nuclear fuel. The new knowledge obtained was the subject of a recent technical report.1
Neutron diffraction–based residual stress mapping of material from a welded canister over 5 days on the NRSF2 instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s High Flux Isotope Reactor revealed an accurate mapping of stress distribution across the canister sample. Notably, the nondestructive neutrons showed significant residual tensile stress near the longitudinal weld of the canister, in agreement with the results of a destructive test at Sandia National Laboratories that drilled deep holes in the material and that also found stress highest at the weld seam. Development of techniques to nondestructively analyze dry storage canister system health is of significant interest to the nuclear industry.
1 Wang, Jy-An John, Payzant, E Andrew, Bunn, Jeffrey R., and An, Ke. Neutron Residual Stress Mapping for Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Canister Weldment. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.2172/1435212.
The Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Program of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management sponsored this research. The work was carried out at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC and used the High Flux Isotope Reactor, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility at ORNL.
