MSIP

L.T. Business Consultants is participating with AEA Technology Engineering Services, Inc. and Equipos Nucleares, S.A. in an international Consortium established in the year 1996, to test and validate the Mechanical Stress  Improvement Process (MSIP) for preventing or mitigating stress corrosion cracking in operating nuclear power plant Reactor Vessel Head CRDM penetrations.

MECHANICAL STRESS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS (MSIP)

MSIP is a patented process invented, developed and implemented to protect weldments against stress corrosion cracking in nuclear power plants.

The presence of high tensile stresses in the weld region is one of the most significant contributors to stress corrosion cracking. The mechanical process developed by AEA Technology Engineering Services, Inc. (AEAT ES) involves introducing small plastic strains to redistribute or remove the residual tensile stress from the critical weld regions.

MSIP's typical application involves a slight circumferential contraction of the pipe on one side of the weldment. Recently AEAT ES has developed a variant of MSIP involving axial contraction for application to the CRDM penetrations in a PWR RV Head, which would eliminate the potential stress corrosion cracking in the penetration weldments.