Nondestructive Magnetic Adaptive Testing of nuclear reactor pressure vessel steel degradation

Inspection of neutron-irradiation-generated degradation of nuclear reactor pressure vessel steel (RPVS) is a very important task. In ferromagnetic materials, such as RPVS, the structural degradation is connected with a change of their magnetic properties. In this work, applicability of a novel magnetic nondestructive method (Magnetic Adaptive Testing, MAT), based on systematic measurement and evaluation of minor magnetic hysteresis loops, is shown for inspection of neutron irradiation embrittlement in RPVS. Three series of samples, made of JRQ, 15CH2MFA and 10ChMFT type steels were measured by MAT. The samples were irradiated by E > 1 MeV energy neutrons with total neutron fluence of 1.58 × 1019–11.9 × 1019 n/cm2. Regular correlation was found between the optimally chosen MAT degradation functions and the neutron fluence in all three types of the materials. Shift of the ductile–brittle transition temperature, ΔDBTT, independently determined as a function of the neutron fluence for the 15CH2MFA material, was also evaluated. A sensitive, linear correlation was found between the ΔDBTT and values of the relevant MAT degradation function. Based on these results, MAT is shown to be a promising (at least) complimentary tool of the destructive tests within the surveillance programs, which are presently used for inspection of neutron-irradiation-generated embrittlement of RPVS.