• 한국압력기기공학회 논문집
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.31-39
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• 2015

Pipe wall-thinning by flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) and various types of erosion is a significant and costly damage phenomenon in secondary piping systems of nuclear power plants (NPPs). Most NPPs have management programs to ensure pipe integrity due to wall-thinning that includes periodic measurements for pipe wall thicknesses using ultrasonic tests (UTs). Nevertheless, thinning evaluations are not easy because the amount of thickness reduction being measured is often quite small compared to the accuracy of the inspection technique. U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) had proposed Total Point Method (TPM) as a thinning occurrence evaluation method, which is a very useful method for detecting locally thinned pipes or fittings. However, evaluation engineers have to discern manually the measurement data because there are no numerical algorithm for TPM. In this study, numerical algorithms were developed based on non-parametric and parametric statistical method.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제40권7호
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• pp.607-614
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• 2008

Since pipes with wall-thinning defects can collapse at fluid pressure that are lower than expected, the collapse moment of wall-thinned pipes should be determined accurately for the safety of nuclear power plants. Wall-thinning defects, which are mostly found in pipe bends and elbows, are mainly caused by flow-accelerated corrosion. This lowers the failure pressure, load-carrying capacity, deformation ability, and fatigue resistance of pipe bends and elbows. This paper offers a support vector regression (SVR) model further enhanced with a fuzzy algorithm for calculation of the collapse moment and for evaluating the integrity of wall-thinned piping systems. The fuzzy support vector regression (FSVR) model is applied to numerical data obtained from finite element analyses of piping systems with wall-thinning defects. In this paper, three FSVR models are developed, respectively, for three data sets divided into extrados, intrados, and crown defects corresponding to three different defect locations. It is known that FSVR models are sufficiently accurate for an integrity evaluation of piping systems from laser or ultrasonic measurements of wall-thinning defects.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.225-234
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• 2014

Wall-thinned defects caused by accelerated corrosion due to fluid flow in the inner pipe appear in many structures of the secondary systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and are a major factor in degrading the integrity of pipes. Wall-thinned defects need to be managed not only when the NPP is under maintenance but also when the NPP is in normal operation. To this end, a test technique was developed in this study to detect such wall-thinned defects based on the temperature difference on the surface of a hot pipe using infrared (IR) thermography and a cooling device. Finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted to examine the tendency and experimental conditions for the cooling experiment. Based on the FEA results, the equipment was configured before the cooling experiment was conducted. The IR camera was then used to detect defects in the inner pipe of the pipe specimen that had artificially induced defects. The IR thermography developed in this study is expected to help resolve the issues related to the limitations of non-destructive inspection techniques that are currently conducted for NPP secondary systems and is expected to be very useful on the NPPs site.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권11호
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• pp.2678-2685
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• 2020

The pipe bends and elbows in nuclear power plants (NPPs) are vulnerable to degradation mechanisms and can cause wall-thinning defects. As it is difficult to detect both the defects generated inside the wall-thinned pipes and the preliminary signs, the wall-thinning defects should be accurately estimated to maintain the integrity of NPPs. This paper proposes a deep fuzzy neural network (DFNN) method and estimates the collapse moment of wall-thinned pipe bends and elbows. The proposed model has a simplified structure in which the fuzzy neural network module is repeatedly connected, and it is optimized using the least squares method and genetic algorithm. Numerical data obtained through simulations on the pipe bends and elbows with extrados, intrados, and crown defects were applied to the DFNN model to estimate the collapse moment. The acquired databases were divided into training, optimization, and test datasets and used to train and verify the estimation model. Consequently, the relative root mean square (RMS) errors of the estimated collapse moment at all the defect locations were within 0.25% for the test data. Such a low RMS error indicates that the DFNN model is accurate in estimating the collapse moment for wall-thinned pipe bends and elbows.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권3호
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• pp.947-957
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• 2023

Curved cylindrical structures such as elbows have a non-uniform thickness distribution due to their fabrication process, and as a result have a number of complex mode shapes, including circumferential and axial nodal patterns. In nuclear power plants, material degradation is induced in pipes by flow accelerated erosion and corrosion, causing the wall thickness of carbon steel elbows to gradually thin. The corresponding frequencies of each mode shape vary according to the wall thinning state. Therefore, the thinning state can be estimated by monitoring the varying modal characteristics of the elbow. This study investigated the varying modal characteristics of artificially thinned carbon steel elbows for each thinning state using numerical simulation and experimental methods (MRIT, Multiple Reference Impact Test). The natural frequencies of specified mode shapes were extracted, and results confirmed they linearly decreased with increasing thinning. In addition, by comparing single FRF (Frequency Response Function) data with the results of MRIT, a concise and cost effective thinning estimation method was suggested.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.313-318
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• 2012

캐나다형 중수로에서 피더관은 중수로 압력관에 중수를 공급하고 가열된 중수를 증기발생기로 보내는 배관으로 가동 중에 유동 가속 부식현상에 의해 감육이 발생한다. 배관에 감육이 발생하게 되면 배관의 건정성이 떨어진다는 결과는 앞선 연구에서 확인하였다. 본 논문에서는 45 도와 60 도의 굽힘각도를 갖는 피더관의 한계하중을 제시하고 제시된 연구결과를 바탕으로 임의의 굽힘각도를 갖는 피더관에서 감육이 발생했을 경우의 한계하중을 예측 할 수 있는 식을 제시하였다. 본 연구에서는 유한요소 해석을 통하여 굽힘 하중과 내압을 받는 경우에 대하여 연구를 진행하였고 특히 굽힘 하중의 경우 면내 열림 방향과 면내 닫힘 방향으로 나누어 진행하였다. 재료는 대변형 효과를 고려하고 탄성-완전소성 재료로 가정하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권9호
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• pp.2092-2099
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• 2020

Many damages due to flow-accelerated corrosion and cracking have been observed during recent in-service inspections of nuclear power plants. To determine the operability or repair for damaged pipes, an integrity evaluation related to the damaged piping system should be performed by using already proven code and standards. One of them, the ASME Code Case is most popularly used to integrity assessment in nuclear power plants. However, the recent version of CC N-513 still recommends the simplified method which means a damaged elbow is assumed as an equivalent straight pipe. In addition, to enhance the accuracy integrity assessment in elbow, several previous studies recommend that the SIF and elastic COD values for an elbow with relatively large crack could be predicted by an interpolation technique. However, those estimates for elbow with relatively large crack might be derived to inaccurate results for crack growth analysis, such as for the allowable crack size and life estimation. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of crack length (0.3≤θ₁/π≤0.5) on SIF and elastic COD for elbow is systematically investigated. Then, for large crack in elbow, accurate estimates for SIF and elastic COD, which are widely used to assess the integrity of elbows, are proposed. Those proposed solutions are expected to be the technical basis for revisions of CC N-513-4 through the validation.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제11권8호
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• pp.3112-3118
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• 2010

최근 경수로형 원전 2차 계통의 건전성 유지를 위해 수처리제를 암모니아에서 에탄올아민으로 전환하였으나, 적용 후 복수 및 저압급수가열기 영역에서의 pH가 감소하므로 본 연구에서는 최적의 pH 제어제로 사용 할 수 있는 아민을 조사하였다. 대체아민 조사 결과 최적 조건을 만족시키는 단일 아민은 존재하지 않았다. 암모니아는 상대휘발도가 높아 증기에 많이 분포되어 증기 응축수인 복수에서 pH가 높으며, 상대휘발도가 낮은 에탄올아민은 습증기 영역의 pH를 높여 유체가속부식을 억제하므로 증기발생기 철 슬러지 유입을 감소하는데 효과적인 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 복수 및 저압급수계통에서 pH가 높은 암모니아와 습증기영역의 유체가속부식 측면에서 특성이 우수한 에탄올아민(ETA)을 혼합 주입하는 복합아민을 선택하면 2차 계통 재질의 손실을 최소화하여 증기발생기 건전성을 확보할 수 있을 것이다.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 1999년도 제17회 학술발표회 논문개요집
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• pp.216-216
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• 1999

The usage of a stationary plasma thruster (SPT) ion source, invented previously for space application in Russia, in experiments with surface modifications and film deposition systems is reported here. Plasma in the SPT is formed and accelerated in electric discharge taking place in the crossed axial electric and radial magnetic fields. Brief description of the construction of specific model of SPT used in the experiments is presented. With gas flow rate 39ml/min, ion current distributions at several distances from the source are obtained. These was equal to 1~3 mA/$\textrm{cm}^2$ within an ion beam ejection angle of $\pm$20$^{\circ}$with discharge voltage 160V for Ar as a working gas. Such an extremely high ion current density allows us to obtain the Ti metal films with deposition rate of $\AA$/sec by sputtering of Ti target. It is shown a possibility of using of reactive gases in SPT (O2 and N2) along with high purity inert gases used for cathode to prevent the latter contamination. It is shown the SPT can be operated at the discharge and accelerating boltages up to 600V. The results of presented experiments show high promises of the SPT in sputtering and surface modification systems for deposition of oxide thin films on Si or polymer substrates for semiconductor devices, optical coatings and metal corrosion barrier layers. Also, we have been tried to establish in application of the modeling expertise gained in electric and ionic propulsion to permit numerical simulation of additional processing systems. In this mechanism, it will be compared with conventional DC sputtering for film microstructure, chemical composition and crystallographic considerations.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제34권9호
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• pp.1293-1298
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• 2010

본 연구에서는 인공감육엘보에 대해 내압 및 굽힘의 복합하중을 작용시킨 실 배관 실증실험으로부터 생성한 회전각 대비 모멘트 곡선으로부터 감육결함 엘보에서 소성변형이 시작되는 1 배탄성구배법에 기초한 OES 탄성하중과 2 배탄성구배법에 기초한 TES 소성하중의 거동 및 상관관계를 살펴보았다. ASME 에서도 제시하고 있는 TES 소성하중은 균열손상에 따른 배관계통 구조 건전성 상실을 배제하면서도 지속사용을 허용할 수 있는 대체 관리 기준으로서 적합한 것으로 판단된다.