6 - Integrity and embrittlement management of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) in light-water reactors

Validation of the current and continued integrity approaches for the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been shown through the many years of safe operation of light-water reactor vessels. There have not been any vessel failures, and this fact is primarily due to proper embrittlement management programs and structural integrity assessment methods. Additionally, there have been several large-scale experiments performed to further validate the integrity of RPVs. This chapter is focused on the embrittlement and integrity management approaches used in different countries that are operating nuclear power plants.