Business from technology

Power plant materials and equipment

Research content

VTT offers research and development services for evaluating the performance of materials used in the equipment of power plants. The services are supported by in-house expertise and experimental facilities, including the accredited facilities and procedures for material characterization, and the VTT quality system that is certified to ISO9001. In addition, materials research and characterization is offered with specific tailoring to the process conditions of the customer.

VTT’s expertise can be used to support decisions on issues such as optimal timing and the scope of inspection and maintenance.

Applications

The research work of VTT covers

• materials of primary circuit equipment of nuclear power plants
  
• materials used in conventional power plants
  
• materials used in new energy technologies (Generation IV nuclear fission systems, nuclear fusion reactor)
  

Future prospects

VTT continues to develop new technologies for component life prediction and operability assessment.

Resources

VTT has approx. 70 specialists in this research area. Experimental facilities are available for

• material testing and characterization
  
• assessment of materials performance under severe or extended service conditions
  
• evaluation of materials response for external loading in contact with e.g. corrosive liquids, gases or solids, in supercritical water, low or high temperatures
  
• characterization of irradiated materials in hot cells