LMFBR Steam Generator Materials Development at Westinghouse

The impact of Materials and Processes (M and P) development activities at the Nuclear Components Division - Breeder Reactor Components Project of Westinghouse are described. Nine specific M and P programs have been performed over the past five years and the conclusions drawn from each are summarized herein. These engineering activities could be classified as component design, fabrication, and testing results. However, the discussion presented is from a materials engineer’s viewpoint as to how the previously proposed development tasks have answered existing questions about either design, manufacturing, or plant operation. The nine areas which are discussed include (i) double-wall tubing, (ii) tube-to-tubesheet welding, (iii) few tube model fabrication and testing, (iv) tube support plates, (v) shell welding, (vi) convoluted shell expansion joint, (vii) water chemistry and corrosion behavior, (viii) chemical cleaning, and (ix) surface contamination protection.