Specialists from the All-Russian Thermal Engineering Institute (VTI – Vserossiiskii Teplotekhnicheskii Institut) have completed a set of tests on the long-term strength of a pipe made of corrosion- and heat-resistant steel grade EP302M-Sh – a key structural material for new generation nuclear reactor plants.
The work was carried out over a wide range of temperatures and loads, and its uniqueness lies in its unprecedented duration. The total test base was about 400,000 hours; testing of individual samples lasted over 25,000 hours. To obtain guaranteed material characteristics, specialists had to solve a complex engineering problem: to develop a special type of test samples and a system for fastening them. This was due to the complex geometry of the pipes (18 mm in diameter with a wall thickness of only 3mm).
“The research is not just a test cycle, it is the formation of a reliable scientific and technical basis for future breakthrough projects in nuclear energy,” noted VTI Director General Ivan Boltenkov. “The guaranteed design characteristics we have received will allow us to design equipment with a high margin of reliability and safety.
The Institute carried out a unique volume of experimental work, developed original methods, overcoming the difficulties associated with the miniature size of the samples. The results of this work have already been transferred to design enterprises. The guaranteed long-term strength characteristics of EP302M-Sh steel will be used in the design of promising power plants.
