ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2026
Nuclear Technology
July 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
Stanley J. Green, J. Peter N. Paine
Nuclear Technology | Volume 55 | Number 1 | October 1981 | Pages 10-29
Technical Paper | Materials Performance in Nuclear Steam Generator / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT81-A32828
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The nuclear industry has had a variety of reliability problems with pressurized water reactor steam generators. Most of these problems have been associated with corrosion and mechanically induced damage, including secondary water intergranular corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC), primary water SCC, wastage, high cycle fatigue, and fretting and wear of the Inconel 600 or Incoloy 800 tubes, plus accelerated corrosion of carbon steel tube support structures in crevice regions. Corrosion and mechanically induced damage are caused by complex interactions of water chemistry, thermal-hydraulic design, materials design choices, fabrication methods, and secondary plant materials, design, and operations. Corrosion has affected almost 90% of steam generators operational prior to 1977, resulting in forced and scheduled outages to plug or sleeve tubes and repair or replace generators. Utility operators have begun to respond vigorously with improved operating and maintenance procedures that reduce air and cooling water inleakage; with installation of full-flow condensate polishers, titanium or stainless steel condensers, retubed feedwater heaters, and moisture separater reheaters; and with modifications to makeup water and blowdown systems. The Steam Generator Owners’ Group continues to provide a focus for development work to understand damage mechanisms, provide remedial actions, and effect transfer of technology to the utility operators