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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Blades-in turbine inspections at Quad Cities set new benchmark for Constellation
When Constellation decided to install replacement Alstom low-pressure turbines at three of its boiling water reactor plants more than 15 years ago, one benefit was knowing the new turbines should operate reliably—and without major inspections—for several years.
Norbert Eickelpasch, Reinhard W. Seepolt, Johann Müllauer, Werner Spalthoff
Nuclear Technology | Volume 60 | Number 3 | March 1983 | Pages 362-366
Technical Paper | LWR Control Materials—I and II / Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT83-A33123
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The control rods of the KRB-I 250-MW(electric) boiling water reactor contain Vipac B4C powder in Type 304 stainless steel tubes as a neutron-absorbing material Because of an increase in the reactor coolant 3H activity, defective control rods were suspected. The hot cell examination of a highly exposed control rod revealed B4C losses. The mechanism of failure was shown to be B4C swelling and stress corrosion cracking of the absorber tubes, followed by B4C washout. The B4C volume swelling is ΔV(%) = 0.851x + 0.0449x2 [x = 10B decays in 1021(n,α)/cm3]. The tube cracking starts at 30 to 35% and the B4C washout at 50 to 55% local 10B burnup in the tubes.
