| Scope |
The safe and efficient operation of nuclear plants is a necessity for long-term power production without increased global carbon burden. Materials technology is a key foundation on which the nuclear technology of today prospers and the technology of tomorrow will succeed. Environmentally-induced materials degradation represents a significant fraction of materials related problems in today’s nuclear power plant operation. For extended lifetimes to 60 years or longer, understanding materials degradation is even more important, both from the perspective of economics and safety. Understanding today’s materials problems is also critical for the future in advanced light water reactor and fusion reactors. The purpose of this conference is to foster an exchange of ideas and findings about such problems and their remedies in nuclear power plants with water coolants of today and the future.
The conference will follow a similar format to the previous meetings in this series. Scientists, engineers, and regulators concerned with the environmental degradation process (corrosion, mechanical, thermal, and radiation) will exchange views and present recent results through a combination of invited and contributed presentations. The conference is intended to be of interest to utility engineers and consultants involved in the design, construction, operation, and regulation of water reactors as well as researchers concerned with the fundamental nature of materials degradation in reactor systems. Papers are sought from representatives of reactor vendors, utilities, research laboratories, universities, and regulatory bodies worldwide.
Papers are solicited on the following topics:
* Primary- and secondary-side degradation of reactor components
* Irradiation effects on mechanical properties
* Irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking
* Water chemistry issues and control
* Stress corrosion, corrosion fatigue, erosion-corrosion, general and localized corrosion
* Remedial measures to prevent and mitigate problems
* Materials degradation in spent fuel and radioactive waste disposal
* Life management from the laboratory to the plant
* Balance of plant environmental degradation problems
* Corrosion associated with weldments. |