Kobe Nuclear Energy Business Operation Department, Nuclear Energy Systems Division, Energy & Environment
In nuclear power plants in Japan, seawater is used as the cooling water. The inner surface of
piping for circulating the seawater to the cooling system of each facility is lined with polymeric
materials such as rubber or polyethylene (PE) to prevent corrosion caused by the seawater. In
recent years, cases of degradation caused by aging of the lining materials have occurred, such as
cavitation erosion in high flow velocity sections including the narrowed portion of valves and
orifices, slurry abrasion, and cracking due to the degradation of physical properties, and demand
from power companies, which are the users of the equipment, for the development of a lining
material with higher durability and reliability, has been increasing. Therefore, we have developed a
highly-durable lining material that has higher cavitation erosion resistance and greater cracking
resistance than the existing lining materials in cooperation with Ube-Maruzen Polyethylene Co.,
Ltd., and started applying the developed lining material to nuclear power plants in Japan as a lining
material that can withstand harsh environments.
