• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1097-1103
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• 2011

Liquid droplet impingement erosion (LDIE) is caused by the impact of high-velocity droplets entrained in steam or air on metal. The degradation caused by the LDIE has been experienced in steam turbine internals and high-velocity airplane components (particularly canopies). Recently, LDIE has also been observed in the pipelines of nuclear plants. LDIE among the pipelines occurs when two-phase steam experiences a high pressure drop (e.g., across an orifice in a line to the condenser). In 2011, a nuclear power plant in Korea experienced a steam leak caused by LDIE in a pipe through which a two-phase fluid was flowing. This paper describes a study on the design change of a pipe affected by LDIE in order to mitigate the damage. The design change has been reviewed in terms of fluid dynamics by using the FLUENT code.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1105-1110
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• 2011

Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a well-known phenomenon that may occur in piping and components. Most nuclear power plants have carbon-steel-pipe wall-thinning management programs in place to control FAC. However, various other erosion mechanisms may also occur in carbon-steel piping. The most common forms of erosion encountered (cavitation, flashing, Liquid Droplet Impingement Erosion (LDIE), and Solid Particle Erosion (SPE)), have caused wall thinning, leaks, and ruptures, and have resulted in unplanned shutdowns in utilities. In particular, the damage caused by LDIE is difficult to predict, and there has been no effort to protect piping from erosive damage. This paper presents an evaluation method for LDIE. It also includes the calculation results from prediction models, a review of the experimental results, and a comparison between the UT data in the damaged components and the results of the calculations and experiments.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.1675-1680
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• 2010

Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) occurring during in-service conditions results in localized wall-thinning in the feeder pipes of CANDU. The wall-thinning of the feeder pipes is the main degradation mechanisms affecting the integrity of piping systems. In this paper, we assess the integrity of wall-thinned feeder pipes by limit load analysis. The limit loads for wall-thinning feeder pipes subjected to in-plane bending and internal pressure were determined on the basis of finte element limit analyses. The limit loads are determined from the results of limit analyses of elasticperfectly-plastic materials using the large geometry change. Closed-form approximations of limit load solutions for wall-thinning feeder pipes subjected to in-plane bending and pressure are proposed.