This article describes probabilistic calculations that address intergranular stress corrosion cracking of stainless steel piping; a degradation mechanism of major concern to nuclear pressure boundary integrity. The objective is to simulate the cracking of stainless steel piping under intergranular stress corrosion cracking conditions, and to evaluate the structural reliability using remedial actions for intergranular stress corrosion cracking that are limited to benefits of in-service inspections and the induction heating stress improvement process. The results show that an effective in-service inspection requires a suitable combination of flaw detection capability and inspection schedule, and it has been suggested that the residual stresses could be altered to become favorable, thereby improving the reliability piping.
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