ASR Concrete Degradation a Concern at Seabrook Nuclear Plant

 ASR, or Alkali-Silica Reaction has many causes, and is a concern for aging nuclear plants worldwide -- not just in the USA

Nuclear power plants are made with special concrete which uses "high-density aggregates" to help "shield effectively against radiation" (Phung, et al). It is also used in making cooling towers and other structures, as well as long-term storage. However, the very make up of the concrete make it more prone to ASR -- which can occur from a number of situations, including exposure to moisture, and acidic water (acid rain), freezing and thawing, etc. But most troubling -- exposure to ionizing radiation can accelerate ASR (Phung, et al).

The discovery of ASR in 2009 at Seabrook nuclear plant put ASR on the radar screen of a local environmental watchdog group, C-10.  The discovery of more damage than Seabrook's owners admitted to was not un-noticed by C-10, who tirelessly call the NRC on their lack of thorough and timely inspections on critical structures. It is concerning to note that the "lifetime of civil concrete structures is normally under one hundred years" (Phung, et al) -- hardly enough time to know the full effects of ASR.

Preventing ASR is a concern of some future nuclear plant builders (as it should be). In preparation for Poland's first nuclear plant, planned for 2030, a number of scientists teamed up to try and figure out how to prevent ASR by experimenting with a number of aggregates (McDonald) -- since as concrete expert Dr. Paul Brown pointed out, once ASR starts, it cannot be stopped (C-10).

Even though the nuclear industry touts ASR as only happening at Seabrook in the USA, and Tihange in Belgium, ASR has been reported at Crystal River 3 in Florida (NRC), and the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ohio (NRC), as well as nuclear plants in Japan, Canada and Belgium (Phung, et al).  Though the mechanisms for these ASR occurrences are varied, they still point to potential problems down the road, as the long-term stability of nuclear structures (as well as waste containment) have not been studied long-term, since nuclear is relatively new. As nuclear plants are pushed beyond their planned lifetimes, ASR will become more of an issue.

Sources:

"Nuclear watchdog group raises concerns over concrete cracks at Seabrook plant," Decembre 14, 2022,  Crompton, Jennifer.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nuclear-watchdog-group-raises-concerns-over-concrete-cracks-at-seabrook-plant/ar-AA15hsF6 

"Special NRC Oversight at Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant: Concrete Degradation," updated 2021, NRC.
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/concrete-degradation.html

"Current Concerns on Durability of Concrete Used in Nuclear Power Plants and Radioactive Waste Repositories," 2018, Phung, Tri Quoc; Norbert Maes, and Diederick Jacques.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/ASR-at-containment-building-of-Tihange-NPP-a-Federal-Agency-for-Nuclear-Control-FANC_fig2_320549309

"Degraded Concrete at Seabrook Nuclear Plant: An Introduction to 'ASR'," 2018, C-10.
https://www.c-10.org/blog/2018/02/15/degraded-concrete-at-seabrook-an-introduction-to-asr

"Preventing ASR in nuclear reactor radiation shielding concrete," 2018, McDonald, Lisa.
https://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-today/construction/preventing-asr-in-nuclear-reactor-radiation-shielding-concrete