Abstract: An insulating coating is applied to the metallic components in a nuclear reactor water environment to decrease and/or mitigate general corrosion and erosion-corrosion of the reactor component's metallic surfaces. Preferably, the coating is a 0.1 micron to 0.3 mm thin layer of an oxide coating such as titania (TiO2), zirconia (ZrO2), tantala (Ta2O5), Al2O3, CeO2 or similar oxides; or a thin layer of the metal, such as Ti, Zr, Ta, Hf, Ce, Al, which will oxidize in the reactor water environment. The applied coating provides a protective layer between the component surfaces and the reactor water environment. By reducing and/or eliminating the potential for corrosion on reactor metallic components, the coating eliminates or minimizes the potential for activated corrosion products to contaminate the reactor water. The coating is especially beneficial for nickel-alloy based metals that contribute significant cobalt-related corrosion products, and will also be effective on austenitic stainless steel components.

Abstract: A jet pump for a nuclear reactor includes a riser and an inlet mixer having a set of nozzles and a mixing section for receiving coolant flow from the nozzles and suction flow from an annular space between the reactor vessel and the shroud core. To minimize or eliminate electrostatic deposition of charged particulates carried by the coolant on interior wall surface of the inlet-mixer of the jet pump, and also to inhibit stress corrosion cracking, the interior wall surfaces of the nozzles and mixing section are coated with a ceramic oxide such as TiO2 and Ta2O5 to thicknesses of about 0.5-1.5 microns.

Abstract: A jet pump for a nuclear reactor includes a riser and an inlet mixer having a set of nozzles and a mixing section for receiving coolant flow from the nozzles and suction flow from an annular space between the reactor vessel and the shroud core. To minimize or eliminate electrostatic deposition of charged particulates carried by the coolant on interior wall surface of the inlet-mixer of the jet pump, and also to inhibit stress corrosion cracking, the interior wall surfaces of the nozzles and mixing section are coated with a ceramic oxide such as TiO2 and Ta2O5 to thicknesses of about 0.5-1.5 microns.

Abstract: An improved method for determining the nuclear radiation threshold of a non-metallic material with the aid of a computer is disclosed, in which differently irradiated samples of the material are subjected to thermogravimetric analysis. From the resultant pyrolytic weight-loss, temperature and elapsed time data, the reaction rates are determined for different orders of reaction values and are plotted against inverse temperature values to obtain the activation energy corresponding to each sample. By plotting activation energy against radiation dose for each sample, the radiation threshold of the material is obtained.