• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.448-453
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• 1999

원전의 열성층 현상으로 발생하는 열 피로균열 및 입계응력부식균열(IGSCC) 등은 결함에 대해서 검사자의 특별한 관심과 노력 없이는 초음파를 이용해 이러한 종류의 결함검출 및 크기 측정이 쉽지 않다. 이러한 결함의 검출 및 크기 측정을 위해서 먼저 초음파 모드 변환 기법을 사용하여 결함 검출 및 결함 크기를 분류한 후에 결함 끝단에서의 초음파 회절파(tip diffraction)를 이용한 여러 가지의 초음파 기법 둥으로 정확한 결함 크기를 측정하여 가동전 중점검시 발견된 결함의 추적 관리 및 결함평가신뢰도 향상에 기여하고자 한다. 따라서, 여기서는 열 피로균열 및 입계응력부식균열 등과 같은 결함의 정확한 검출 및 크기 측정을 위해 초음파 모드 변환 기법의 특성을 철저히 이해하고 이에 관련된 초음파 신호들을 정확히 구분할 수 있는 방법을 기술하였다.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.501-510
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• 2000

Recently, advanced signal analysis which is called "time-frequency analysis" has been used widely in nondestructive evaluation applications. Wavelet transform(WT) and Wigner Distribution are the most advanced techniques for processing signals with time-varying spectra. Wavelet analysis method is an attractive technique for evaluation of material characterization nondestructively. Wavelet transform is applied to the time-frequency analysis of ultrasonic echo waveform obtained by an ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. In this study, the feasibility of noise suppression of ultrasonic flaw signal and frequency-dependent ultrasonic group velocity and attenuation coefficient using wavelet analysis of ultrasonic echo waveform have been verified experimentally. The Gabor function is adopted the analyzing wavelet. The wavelet analysis shows that the variations of ultrasonic group velocity and attenuation coefficient due to the change of material characterization can be evaluated at each frequency. Furthermore, to assure the enhancement of detectability and naw sizing performance, both computer simulated results and experimental measurements using wavelet signal processing are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the noise suppression of ultrasonic flaw signal obtained from austenitic stainless steel weld including EDM notch.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.317-323
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• 2010

The manual ultrasonic examination for the nuclear power plant piping welds has been demonstrated by using KPD(Korean Performance Demonstration) generic procedure. For automated ultrasonic examination, there is no generic procedure and it should be qualified by using applicable automated equipment. Until now, most of qualified procedures used pulse-echo technique and there is no qualified procedure using phased array technique. In this study, data acquisition and analysis software were developed and phased-array transducer and wedge were designed to implement phased array technique for nuclear power plant in-service inspection. The developed procedure are qualified for performance demonstration for the flaw detection, length sizing and depth sizing. The qualified procedure will be applied for the field examination in the nuclear power plant piping weld inspection.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.195-202
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• 2017

The aim of this paper is to develop a novel method to determine the severity of a damage in a thin plate. This paper presents a novel fault detection and diagnosis approach employing a new electromagnetic acoustic transducer, called EMAT, together with a complex signal processing method. The method consists in the recognition of a fault that exists within the structure, the fault location, i.e. the identification of the geometric position of damage, and the determining the significance of the damage, which indicates the importance or severity of the defect. The main scientific novelties presented in this paper is: to develop of a new type of electromagnetic acoustic transducer; to incorporate wavelet transforms for signal representation enhancements; to investigate multi-parametric analysis for noise identification and defect classification; to study attenuation curves properties for defect localization improvement; flaw sizing and location algorithm development.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.50-56
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• 2008

The tubes in heat exchanger are typically made of copper alloy, stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium alloy material. Type-439 ferritic stainless steel is ferromagnetic material, and furnish higher heat transfer rates than austenitic stainless steels and higher resistance to corrosion-induced flaws. Ferritic stainless steel can be found in low-pressure(LP) feedwater heaters and moisture separator reheaters(MSRs) in turbine system. LP feedwater heaters generally utilize thin wall Type-439 stainless steel tubing, whereas MSRs typically employ a heavier wall tubing with integral fins. Service-induced damage can occur on the O.D(outside diameter) surface of Type-439 ferritic stainless steel tubing which is employed for MSRs tubing, and the most typical damage mechanism is vibration-induced tube-to-TSP(tube support plate) wear and fatigue cracking. The wear has been reported that occurs mainly on the OD surface. Accordingly, in this study, we have evaluated the flaw sizing capability of magnetic saturation eddy current technique using magnetic saturation probe and flawed specimen.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.231-238
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• 2006

Nondestructive examination for low pressure turbine disc in standard nuclear power plant using phased array technique was studied. For this purpose, disc mockups were made and notches were machined in the mockups. Detection and length sizing by different methods are compared. Depth of deep notches could be measured by using AATT(absolute arrival time technique) or RATT(relative arrival time technique) but shallow notches that must be detected in early stage couldn't be measured by these two methods. For this case, notch depth was estimated by using signal response angle range and preyed usefulness.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 2014

A pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) core has 380 fuel channels contained and supported by a horizontal cylindrical vessel known as the calandria, whereas a pressurized water reactor (PWR) has only a single reactor vessel. The pressure tube, which is a pressure-retaining component, has a 103.4 mm inside diameter ${\times}$ 4.19 mm wall thickness, and is 6.36 m long, made of a zirconium alloy (Zr-2.5 wt% Nb). This provides support for the fuel while transporting the $D_2O$ heat-transfer fluid. The simple tubular geometry invites highly automated inspection, and good approach for all inspection. Similar to all nuclear heat-transfer pressure boundaries, the PHWR pressure tube requires a rigorous, periodic inspection to assess the reactor integrity in accordance with the Korea Nuclear Safety Committee law. Volumetric-based nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques utilizing ultrasonic and eddy current testing have been adopted for use in the periodic inspection of the fuel channel. The eddy current testing, as a supplemental NDE method to ultrasonic testing, is used to confirm the flaws primarily detected through ultrasonic testing, however, eddy current testing offers a significant advantage in that its ability to detect surface flaws is superior to that of ultrasonic testing. In this paper, effectiveness of flaw detection and the depth sizing capability by eddy current testing for the inside surface of a pressure tube, will be introduced. As a result of this examination, the ET technique is found to be useful only as a detection technique for defects because it can detect fine defects on the surface with high resolution. However, the ET technique is not recommended for use as a depth sizing method because it has a large degree of error for depth sizing.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.294-303
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• 2005

This paper describes the analysis results of a series f Round-Robin test that was performed to intercompare inspection and diagnosis techniques for characterization of pressure tube f a pressurized heavy water reactor under the Coordinated Research Project(CRP) of IAEA's nuclear Power Programme. For this test, six nations, Korea, Canada, India, Argentina, Rumania, and China that currently have pressurized heavy water reactors under operation involved, and the "KOR-1" pressure tube sample prepared by Korea was used. Two kinds of NDE technique, ultrasonic and eddy current test, were applied for these tests. The "KOR-1" pressure tube sample contains total 12 artificial flaws such as crack-like EDM notches, wear that is similar to the real flaws and can be produced on the pressure tubes during plant operation. Test results showed that seven laboratories from six nations detected all twelve flaws in "KOR-1" specimen by using ultrasonic and eddy current test methods, and ultrasonic test method was more accurate than eddy current test method in flaw detectin and sizing. ID flaws in pressure tube sample were more easily detected and accurately sized than OD flaws.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.426-432
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• 1999

A plus-point eddy current test(ECT) probe was developed to examine the defects on the welds of pumps, valves, and pipings which are the major components of the electric power plants, non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for detecting and sizing the flaws were studied adapting this probe. Differential plus-point ECT probe is consists of two "I"-type coils crossed each other and has an advantage having a small influence on the sensitivity by lift-off variation to the conventional types of probe. The specimens with crack-like electro discharge machining(EDM) notches on the weld of type 304 stainless-steel were fabricated in order to evaluate the plus-point ECT probe response to the flaws. NDE techniques to detect and size the flaws and estimate the flaw type were established with this specimens.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.407-415
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• 2008

The tubes in heat exchanger are typically made from copper alloy, stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium alloy material. type-439 ferritic stainless steel is ferromagnetic material, and furnish higher heat transfer rates than austenitic stainless steels and higher resistance to corrosion-induced flaws. Ferritic stainless steel can typically be found in low-pressure(LP) feedwater heaters and moisture separator reheaters(MSRs). LP feedwater heaters generally utilize thin wall type-439 stainless steel tubing, whereas MSRs typically employ a heavier wall tubing with integral fins. Service-induced damage can occur on the OD(outside diameter) surface of type-439 ferritic stainless steel tubing which is employed for MSRs tubing, and the most typical damage mechanism is vibration-induced tube-to-TSP(tube support plate) wear and fatigue cracking. The wear has been reported that occurs mainly on the OD surface. Accordingly, in this study, we have evaluated the flaw sizing capability of magnetic saturation eddy current technique using magnetic saturation probe and flawed specimen.