Development of an Underwater Shot Peening System to Prevent Stress Corrosion Cracking of Reactor Internals

Abstract

The water projection type shot peening system and remotely driven robots were developed to be operated under water, in order to apply shot peening to reactor internals (shroud) in boiling water reactors (BWRs). The effects of processing parameters on the residual stress depth profiles were examined to obtain the optimum processing conditions to suppress stress corrosion cracking (SCC). Creviced bent beam (CBB) type stress corrosion tests showed that the SCC resistance in Type 304 stainless steel was remarkable increased by the shot peening. It was ascertained by several fundamental experiments that the shot peening had no detrimental effects on the other material characteristics and had sufficient applicability to the practical shroud. The reliable processing system which the accelerated shots by the pressurized water could be supplied, completely sucked and repeatedly used in order to reduce radioactive waste was developed. Two types of remote handling robots were also developed to positioning to follow the complicated shape of the core shroud welds, and for processing efficiency by reducing radiation exposure , one for processing the inner surface of the cylindrical core shroud, and the other for processing the outer surface in the narrow annulus region. The system and robots were successfully applied to the core shrouds of Hamaoka Unit-1 and Unit-2 of Chubu Electric Power Co., Ltd.