• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.387-395
• /
• 2013

Recently, several circumferential cracks were found in the control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzles of U.S. nuclear power plants. According to the accident analyses, coolant leaks were caused by primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). The tensile residual stresses caused by welding, corrosion sensitive materials, and boric acid solution cause PWSCC. Therefore, an exact estimation of the residual stress is important for reliable operation. In this study, finite element simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of the tube geometry (thickness and radius) on the residual stresses in a J-groove weld for different CRDM tube locations. Two different tube locations were considered (center-hole and steepest side hill tube), and the tube radius and thickness variables ($r_o/t$=2, 3, 4) included two different reference values ($r_o$=51.6, t=16.9mm).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.17-22
• /
• 2016

Alloy 600 widely used in nuclear power plant is susceptible to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). It is important to prioritize the inspection of Alloy 600 components using PWSCC susceptibility index. Plant-specific model for the susceptibility index was reviewed. The normalized PWSCC susceptibility index to a reference value is suggested and applied. The result was found to be reasonable.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.37 no.9
• /
• pp.1159-1168
• /
• 2013

In pressurized water nuclear reactors (PWRs), the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) upper head contains penetration nozzles that use a control rod drive mechanism (CRDM). The penetration nozzle uses J-groove weld geometry. Recently, the occurrence of cracking in alloy 600 CRDM penetration nozzle has increased. This is attributable to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). PWSCC is known to be susceptible to the welding residual stress and operational stress. Generally, the tensile residual stress is the main factor contributing to crack growth. Therefore, this study investigates the effect on weld residual stress through different analysis methods for normal operating conditions using finite element analysis. In addition, this study also considers the effect of repeated normal operating condition cycles on the weld residual stress. Based on the analysis result, this paper presents a normal operating condition analysis method.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.36 no.10
• /
• pp.1115-1130
• /
• 2012

In nuclear power plants, the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) upper head control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) penetration nozzles are fabricated using J-groove weld geometry. Recently, the incidences of cracking in Alloy 600 CRDM nozzles and their associated welds have increased significantly. The cracking mechanism has been attributed to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC), and it has been shown to be driven by welding residual stresses and operational stresses in the weld region. The weld-induced residual stress is the main factor contributing to crack growth. Therefore, an exact estimation of the residual stress is important for ensuring reliable operation. This study presents the residual stress computation performed for an RPV CRDM penetration nozzle in Korea. Based on two and three dimensional finite element analyses, the effect of welding variables on the residual stress variation is estimated for sensitivity analysis.