• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2013

In general, pipelines at nuclear power plants are affected by various types of degradation mechanisms and may be ruptured after gradually thinning. FAC (Flow-Accelerated Corrosion) is typical aging mechanism affecting the secondary side piping system. In Korea nuclear power plants, CHECWORKS program have been used for management of wall thinning damages. However, sometimes, CHECWORKS program shows wrong results at the stage of NFA (Network Flow Analysis) in case of complex pipelines. This paper describes the calculation results of pressure drop in a complex pipeline and single line by using the CHECWORKS program and the analysis results are compared with those of engineering calculation results including errors between them.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.437-442
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• 2010

Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) leads to thinning of steel pipe walls that are exposed to flowing water or wet steam. From experience, it is seen that FAC damage to piping at fossil and nuclear plants can result in outages that require expensive repairs and can affect plant reliability and safety. CHECWORKS have been utilized in domestic nuclear plants as a predictive tool to assist FAC engineers in planning inspections and evaluating the inspection data so that piping failures caused by FAC can be prevented. However, CHECWORKS may be occasionally ignore local susceptible portions when predicting FAC damage in a group of pipelines after constructing a database for all the secondary side piping in nuclear plants. This paper describes the methodologies that can complement CHECWORKS and the verifications of CHECWORKS prediction results using numerical analysis. FAC susceptible locations determined using CHECWORKS for two pipeline groups of a nuclear plant was compared with determined using the numerical-analysis-based FLUENT.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.429-435
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• 2010

In approximately fifty utilities, including KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power), CHECWORKS is used as a tool for predicting and managing the wall thinning of carbon steel piping; this wall thinning is caused by flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC). It is known that CHECWORKS is only applicable to predict the wall thinning of piping with large bores. When dealing with small-bore steel piping, FAC engineers measure the thickness of the susceptible area that is selected on the basis of the experience and judgment of the engineer. This paper proposes the application of CHECWORKS for the management of wall thinning of small-bore piping. Four small-bore pipelines of a domestic nuclear power plant were analyzed from the viewpoints of FAC and fluid dynamics by using CHECWORKS and FLUENT code. Depending on the engineer's skill, CHECWORKS can also be used for the management of wall thinning of small-bore piping.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.317-323
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• 2018

Assumptions have always been that wall thinning on the secondary side piping in nuclear power plants is mostly caused by Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC). Recent studies have showed that wall thinning on the secondary side piping is caused by Liquid Droplet Impingement Erosion (LDIE), Solid Particle Erosion (SPE), cavitation, and flashing. To manage those aging mechanisms, several software such as CHECWORKS, COMSY, and BRT-CICERO have been used in nuclear power plants. Korean nuclear power plants have been using the CHECWORKS program since 1996 to date. However, many site engineers have experienced a lot of inconveniences and problems in using the CHECWORKS program. In order to work through the inconveniences and to remedy problems, KEPCO-E&C has developed a "3D-based pipe wall thinning management program (ToSPACE)" based on the experience of over 30 years in relation to the pipe wall thinning management. This study compares the results of FAC and LDIE analysis using both the CHECWORKS and ToSPACE programs with respect to validation of the wall thinning analysis results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.127.2-127
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• 2001

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.375-384
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• 1999

The credibility of CHECWORKS FAC model analysis was evaluated for plant application in a model plant chosen for demonstration. The operation condition at each pipe component was defined before the wear rate analysis by plant data base, water chemistry analysis, and network flow analysis. The predicted wear was compared with the measured wear for 57 sample components selected from 43 susceptible line groups analysed. The inspected 57 locations represent components of highest predicted wear in each line group. Both absolute value and relative ranking comparisons indicated reasonable correlations between the predicted and the measured values. Four components showed much higher measured wear rates than the predicted ones in the feed water train from main feed water pump discharge to steam generator, probably due to high hydrazine concentration operation the effect of which had not been incorporated into the CHECWORKS model. The measured wear was higher than the predicted one consistently for components with least susceptibility to FAC. It is believed that the conservatism maintained during UT data analysis dominated the measurement accuracy. A great deal of enhancement is anticipated over the current plant pipe management program when a comprehensive plant pipe management program is implemented based on the model analysis.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.807-812
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• 2001

This paper represents the wall thinning analysis results for secondary side piping of two types of domestic nuclear power plants based on the DB establishment and F AC analysis study for NPP secondary system piping. CHECWORKS code utilized in this study has been applied world widely to wall thinning analyses for secondary side piping and its reliability has also been proved. The predicted wear rates for several piping systems of a pressurized water reactor NPP are compared with those of a pressurized heavy water reactor NPP and with the measured wear rates. On the basis of comparison results of the predicted and measured wear rates, the analysis results can be effectively applied to the development of a standard thinned pipe management program targeted all domestic nuclear power plants.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.616-621
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• 2001

Flow-accelerated corrosion(FAC) is a phenomenon that results in metal loss from piping, vessels, and equipment made of carbon steel. FAC occurs only under certain conditions of flow, chemistry, geometry, and material. Unfortunately, those conditions are in much of the high-energy piping in nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants. Also, for domestic NPP secondary pipings whose operating time become longer, more evidences of FAC have been reported. The authors are studying on FAC management using CHECWORKS, computer code developed by EPRI. This paper is on the prediction results of metal loss by FAC in the one of CANDU type NPP secondary piping systems.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2016

Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) is a well-known degradation mechanism that attacks the secondary piping in nuclear power plants. Since the Surry Unit 2 event in 1986, most nuclear power plants have implemented management programs to deal with damages in carbon and low-alloy steel piping. Despite the utmost efforts, damage induced by FAC still occurs in power plants around the world. In order to predict FAC wear, some computer programs were developed such as CHECWORKS, CICERO, and COMSY. Various data need to be input to these programs; the chemical composition of secondary piping, flow operating conditions and piping geometries. CHECWORKS, developed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), uses a geometry code to calculate geometry effects. Such a relatively simple geometry code is limited in acquiring the accuracy of FAC prediction. Recently, EPRI revisited the geometry code with the intention of updating it. In this study, numerical simulations were performed for two adjacent $90^{\circ}$ elbows and the results were analysed in terms of the proximity effect between the two adjacent elbows.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.89-95
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• 2012

U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has developed CHECWORKS program and applied it to power plant piping lines since some lines were ruptured by flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) in 1978. Nowadays the CHECWORKS program has been used to manage pipe wall thinning phenomena caused by FAC. However, various erosion mechanisms can occur in carbon-steel piping. Most common forms of erosion are cavitation, flashing, liquid droplet impingement erosion (LDIE), and Solid Particle Erosion (SPE). Those erosion mechanisms cause pipe wall thinning, leaking, rupturing, and even result in unplanned shutdowns of utilities. Especially, in two phase condition, LDIE damages a wide scope of plant pipelines. Furthermore, LDIE is the major culprit to cause such as power runback by pipe leaking. This paper describes the methodologies that manage wall thinning and also predict LDIE wall thinning area. For this study, current properties of two-phase condition are investigated and LDIE areas are selected. The areas are checked by B-Scan method to detect the effect of wall thinning phenomena.