BWR Reactor Vessels

Analyses have been previously submitted and approved [I.3, I.4] that establish reduced inspection requirements for BWR reactor vessels relative to ASME Section XI requirements. Specifically, BWRVIP-05 [I.3] justifies that only axially-oriented welds in the vessel beltline region need be examined on a ten year interval, versus the Section XI requirement to inspect all axial and circumferential welds on this interval. This relief was based on PFM calculations demonstrating, for the BWR fleet, that circumferential weld inspections contribute negligibly to reduction in the already small failure probability of a BWR vessel. The methodology used for the PFM analysis is a computer program (VIPER [I.7]) developed by Structural Integrity Associates for EPRI and the BWRVIP. To address this LOCA frequency contributor, the VIPER software was run for a typical BWR vessel, extending the analysis period from 40 to 60 years. A modification to the software (VIPER-NOZ) was also used to estimate leakage and failure probabilities for BWR Reactor Vessel feedwater nozzles. Feedwater nozzles were selected because they are subject to thermal fatigue cycling, which caused serious nozzle cracking in the 1970s [I.5]. Both analyses take credit for routine ISI programs that are conducted on these components on ten-year inspection intervals. The feedwater nozzle analysis also takes credit for nozzle modifications and thermal sleeve improvements that were installed in all U. S. BWRs to reduce the severity of the thermal fatigue cycling.