Development of an Electromagnetic Nondestructive Testing Method for the Prevention of Defects in Steam Generator Tubes at Nuclear Power Plant

원자력발전소 증기발생기 전열관의 결함발생 예방을 위한 전자기 비파괴 검사방법 개발

Major cause of defects in steam generator tubes at nuclear power plant is the accumulation of magnetite and other byproducts of corrosion in the crevice gap between support plates and tubes. Since damaged tubes result in contamination of the secondary coolant by the radioactive primary coolant, they represent a safety hazard. Early detection of magnetite buildup is, therefore, imperative in order to take remedial measures such as chemical flushing. Although the eddy current testing is being used for the inspection of steam generator tubes, the interpretation of resulting signals is generally a difficult task. This paper uses the phase of sensor coil emf as the test signal to find a way of easier signal interpretation. Numerical study using FEM shows that the shape of resulting signal is good for identifying the relative position of the probe to the support plate, and for discreminating the different shapes and degrees of magnetite buildup in the crevice gap region.