• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2004년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.2017-2022
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• 2004

There are multistage preheaters in the power generation plan to improve the thermal efficiency of the plant and to prevent the components from the thermal shock. The energy source of these heaters comes from the extracted two phase fluid of working system. These two-phase fluid can cause the so-called Flow Accelerated Corrosion(FAC) in the extracting piping and the bubble plate of the heater for example, in case of point Beach Nuclear Power Plant and in the Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant. The FAC is due to the mass transport of the thin oxide layer by the convection. FAC is dependent on many parameters such as the operation temperature, void fraction, the fluid velocity and pH of fluid and so on. Therefore, in this paper velocity was calculated by FLUENT code in order to find out the root cause of the wall thinning of the feedwater heaters. It also includeed in the fluid mixing analysis model are around the number 5A feedwater heater shell including the extraction pipeline. To identify the relation between the local velocities and wall thinning, the local velocities according to the analysis results were compared with distribution of the shell wall thicknes by ultrasonic test.

• 한국분무공학회지
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.24-30
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• 2004

Feedwater flowing tube side of number 5 high pressure feedwatrr heaters was heated by extracting steam from high pressure turbine and draining water from moisture separators and number 6 high pressure feedwater heaters and supplied into steam generators. Because the extracting steam from the high pressure turbine is two phase fluid of high temperature, high pressure, and high speed and flows to inverse direction after impinging to impingement baffle. the shell wall of the number 5 high pressure feedwater heater may be affected by flow accelerated corrosion. On May 14, 1999, Point Beach Nuclear Plant (PBNP) with operating at full power experienced a steam leak from rupture of shell side of number 4B feedwater heater. Also, d domestic nuclear power plant experienced a severe wall thinning of shell side of number 5A and 5B feedwater heaters. This paper describes the fluid mixing analysis study using PHOENICS code in order to get at the root of the shell wall thinning of the feedwater heaters. The sections included in the fluid mixing analysis model are around the number 5h feedwater heater shell including the extracting pipeline. To identify the relation between the local velocities and wall thinning. the local velocities according to the analysis results were compared with the distribution of the shell wall thickness by ultrasonic test.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.280-287
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• 2013

Flow accelerated corrosion(FAC) of the carbon steel piping in pressurized water reactors(PWRs) has been major issue in nuclear industry. Severe accident at Surry Unit 2 in 1986 initiated the worldwide interest in this area. Major parameters influencing FAC are material composition, microstructure, water chemistry, and hydrodynamics. Qualitative behaviors of FAC have been well understood but quantitative data about FAC have not been published for proprietary reason. In order to minimize the FAC in PWRs, the optimal method is to control water chemistry factors. Chemistry factors influencing FAC such as pH, corrosion potential, and hydrazine contents were reviewed in this paper. FAC rate decreased with pH up to 10 because magnetite solubility decreased with pH. Corrosion potential is generally controlled dissolved oxygen (DO) and hydrazine in secondary water. DO increased corrosion potential. FAC rate decreased with DO by stabilizing magnetite at low DO concentration or by formation of hematite at high DO concentration. Even though hydrazine is generally used to remove DO, hydrazine itself thermally decomposed to ammonia, nitrogen, and hydrogen raising pH. Hydrazine could react with iron and increased FAC rate. Effect of hydrazine on FAC is rather complex and should be careful in FAC analysis. FAC could be managed by adequate combination of pH, corrosion potential, and hydrazine.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제11권6호
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• pp.257-262
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• 2012

Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) of the carbon steel piping in nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been major issue in nuclear industry. Rotating cylinder FAC test facility was designed and fabricated and then performance of the facility was evaluated. The facility is very simple in design and economic in fabrication and can be used in material and chemistry screening test. The facility is equipped with on line monitoring of pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen(DO), and temperature. Fluid velocity is controlled with rotating speed of the cylinder with a test specimen. FAC test of SA106 Gr. B carbon steel under 4 m/s flow velocity was performed with the rotating cylinder at DO concentration of less than 1 ppb and of 1.3 ppm. Also a corrosion test of the carbon steel at static condition, that is at zero fluid velocity, of test specimen and solution was performed at pH from 8 to 10 for comparison with the FAC data. For corrosion test in static condition, the amount of non adherent corrosion product was almost constant at pH ranging from 8 to 10. But adherent corrosion product decreased with increasing pH. This trend is consistent with decrease of Fe solubility with an increase in pH. For FAC test with rotating cylinder FAC test facility, the amount of non adherent corrosion product was also almost same for both DO concentrations. The rotating cylinder FAC test facility will be further improved by redesigning rotating cylinder and FAC specimen geometry for future work.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.61-71
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• 2019

Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) is a phenomenon in which a protective coating on a metal surface is dissolved by a flow of fluid in a metal pipe, leading to continuous wall-thinning. Recently, many countries have developed computer codes to manage FAC in power plants, and the FAC prediction model in these computer codes plays an important role in predictive performance. Herein, the FAC prediction model was developed by applying a machine learning method and the conventional nonlinear regression method. The random forest, a widely used machine learning technique in predictive modeling led to easy calculation of FAC tendency for five input variables: flow rate, temperature, pH, Cr content, and dissolved oxygen concentration. However, the model showed significant errors in some input conditions, and it was difficult to obtain proper regression results without using additional data points. In contrast, nonlinear regression analysis predicted robust estimation even with relatively insufficient data by assuming an empirical equation and the model showed better predictive power when the interaction between DO and pH was considered. The comparative analysis of this study is believed to provide important insights for developing a more sophisticated FAC prediction model.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.373-383
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• 2021

The effect of Cr addition to high Mn steel on flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) behavior in a neutral aqueous environment was evaluated. For comparison, two types of conventional ferritic steels (API X70 steel and 9% Ni steel) were used. A range of experiments (electrochemical polarization and impedance tests, weight loss measurement, and metallographic observation of corrosion scale) were conducted. This study showed that high Mn steel with 3% Cr exhibited the highest resistance to FAC presumably due to the formation of a bi-layer scale structure composed of an inner Cr enriched Fe oxide and an outer Mn substituted partially with Fe oxide on the surface. Although the high Mn steels had the lowest corrosion resistance at the initial corrosion stage due to rapid dissolution kinetics of Mn elements on their surface, the kinetics of inner scale (i.e. Cr enriched Fe oxide) formation on Cr-bearing high Mn steel was faster in dynamic flowing condition compared to stagnant condition. On the other hand, the corrosion scales formed on API X70 and 9% Ni steels did not provide sufficient anti-corrosion function during the prolonged exposure to dynamic flowing conditions.

• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제30권7호
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• pp.707-714
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• 2006

A numerical analysis study has performed in terms of fluid dynamics to identify the wall thinning generated in the main feedwater isolation valve body of a nuclear power plant. To review the relations between flow characteristics and the wall thinning induced by flow accelerated corrosion (FAC), numerical analysis using FLUENT code and ultrasonic tests (UT) were performed. The local velocities according to the analysis results were compared with the distribution of the measured wall thickness by ultrasonic tests. The comparison results show that the local velocity in the x-direction had no correlation with the wall thinning but the local velocity in the y-direction and turbulence intensity had a great influence on that. These results provide a good match to those of the previous studies - locations colliding vertically against components undergo severe wall thinning. These results may be utilized to the design modification and the wall thinning management for main feedwater isolation valves for preventing the wall thinning degradation.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2007년도 춘계학술대회A
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• pp.120-125
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• 2007

Put Abstract text here The strain distribution measurement for wall thinned pipe bends by ESPI is presented. Defect types observed in the steel piping in the nuclear power plants (NPP) are the crack at the weld part and the wall thinning defect in the pipe bends. Especially, the wall thinning defects in the pipe bends due to the flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a main type of defects observed in the carbon steel piping system. ESPI is one of the optical non-destructive testing methods and can measure the stress and the strain distribution of the object subjected by the tensile loading or the internal pressure. In this paper, the strain distribution of the wall thinned pipe bends due to the internal pressure will be measured by ESPI technique and the results are discussed. From the results, the size of the wall thinning defect can also be measured approximately.

• 한국분무공학회지
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.18-29
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• 2007

Feedwater heaters of many nuclear power plants have recently experienced severe wall thinning damage, which will increase as operating time progresses. Several nuclear power plants in Korea have experienced wall thinning damage in the area around the impingement baffle - installed downstream of the high pressure turbine extraction steam line - inside number 5A and 5B feedwater heaters. At that point, the extracted steam from the high pressure turbine is two phase fluid at high temperature, high pressure, and high speed. Since it flows in reverse direction after impinging the impingement baffle, the shell wall of the number 5 high pressure feedwater heater may be affected by flow-accelerated corrosion. This paper describes the comparisons between the numerical analysis results using the FLUENT code and the down scale experimental data in an effort to determine root causes of the shell wall thinning of the high pressure feedwater heaters. The numerical analysis and experimental data were also confirmed by actual wall thickness measured by an ultrasonic test.

• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Feedwater heaters of many nuclear power plants have recently experienced severe wall thinning damage, which will increase as operating time progresses. Several nuclear power plants in Korea have experienced wall thinning damage in the area around the impingement baffle - installed downstream of the high pressure turbine extraction steam line - inside number 5A and 5B feedwater heaters. At that point, the extracted steam from the high pressure turbine is two phase fluid at high temperature, high pressure, and high speed. Since it flows in reverse direction after impinging the impingement baffle, the shell wall of the number 5 high pressure feedwater heater may be affected by flow-accelerated corrosion. This paper describes the comparisons between the numerical analysis results using the FLUENT code and the down scale experimental data in an effort to determine root causes of the shell wall thinning of the high pressure feedwater heaters. The numerical analysis and experimental data were also confirmed by actual wall thickness measured by an ultrasonic test.