• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.109-118
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• 2023

In this paper, the evaluation method of fluidelastic instability (FEI) of newly designed steam generator tubing in pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants is discussed. To obtain the parameters for prediction of the critical velocity of FEI for steam generator tubes, experimental research is carried out, and the design parameters are determined. Using CFD numerical simulation, the tube array scale of the model experiment is determined, and the experimental device is designed. In this paper, 7 groups of experiments with void fractions of 0% (water), 10%, 20%, 50%, 75%, 85% and 95% were carried out. The critical damping ration, fundamental frequency and critical velocity of FEI of tubes in flowing water were measured. Through calculation, the total mass and instability constant of the immersed tube are obtained. The critical damping ration measured in the experiment mainly included two-phase damping and viscous damping, which changed with the change in void fraction from 1.56% to 4.34%. This value can be used in the steam generator design described in this paper and is conservative. By introducing the multiplier of frequency and square root of total mass per unit length, it is found that the difference between the experimental results and the calculated results is less than 1%, which proves the rationality and feasibility of the calculation method of frequency and total mass per unit length in engineering design. Through calculation, the instability constant is greater than 4 when the void fraction is less than 75%, less than 4 when the void fraction exceeds 75% and only 3.04 when the void fraction is 95%.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.405-412
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• 2014

As a major type of heat exchanger, the steam generator (SG) produces steam from heat energy of a nuclear power plant reactor. The steam produced by the steam generator flows into a turbine, and plays an important role in electric power generation. The heat transfer tubes in the steam generator consist of approximately 10,000 U-shaped tubes, which perform a structural role and act as thermal boundaries. The heat transfer tubes conduct the thermal energy between the primary coolant (about $320^{\circ}C$, $157kgf/cm^2$) obtained from the reactor and the secondary coolant (about $260^{\circ}C$, $60kgf/cm^2$) as part of the secondary system. Recently, the heat transfer tubes in the steam generator of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) are primarily produced from Alloy 600 and Alloy 690 seamless tubes. As a pilot study to find process parameters for the cold U-bending process using rotary draw bending, numerical and experimental investigations were conducted to produce U-shaped tubes from long straight SUS304L seamless tubes. 3D finite element simulations were run using ABAQUS Explicit with consideration of the elastic recovery. The process parameters studied were the angular speed, the operation period and the bending angle. Experimental verifications were conducted to insure the suitability of the final U-shaped configurations with respect to both ovality and wall thickness.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1995.11a
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• pp.172-174
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• 1995

About a half of Electric power is generated by nuclear power plants in korea. So, the stable operation of nuclear power plant is very important for suppling the essential national electric power. A S/G(Steam Generator) level control is the most difficult system in PWR(Pressurized Water Reactor) nuclear power plant. Because of the non-linear and the non-nominal response of S/G level control, it Is very difficult to control the level by automatic mode or manual mode. The goal of this study is to establish and verify a advanced control algorithm by analyzing, modelling, stability calculation, controller parameter calculation, simulation for S/G level control system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.555-567
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• 1998

Alloy 600 and 690 steam generator tubes fabricated in Korea were evaluated by flare tests according to ASTM standards. The stress acting in the tube elements during the tests was predicted. All the tubes, including alleys 600 and 690, satisfied the requirement of a 30% or 35% O.D expansion. Flow curves obtained from the flare test were found to be higher in alloy 690 tubes than in alloy 600 ones. The difference between alloy 600 and 690 tubes increased gradually with flaring percentage (F.P,%). An effective stress corresponding to mean yield stress was introduced and calculated. It showed that the prediction values were in good agreement with the measured ones for all the 690 and 600 alloy tubes. It became possible to predict the amount of acting stresses within tubes during expansion process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.869-874
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• 2014

It was discovered in a Korean PWR that an extensive number of very short and shallow cracks in the SG tubes were undetectable by eddy current in-service-inspection because of the masking effect of sludge deposits. Axial stress corrosion cracks at the outside diameter of the steam generator tubes near the line contacts with the tube support plates are the major concern among the six identical Korean nuclear power plants having CE-type steam generators with Alloy 600 high temperature mill annealed tubes, HU3&4 and HB3~6. The tubes in HB3&4 have a less susceptible microstructure so that the onset of ODSCC was substantially delayed compared to HU3&4 whose tubes are most susceptible to ODSCC among the six units. The numbers of cracks detected by the eddy current inspection jumped drastically after the steam generators of HB4 were chemically cleaned. The purpose of the chemical cleaning was to mitigate stress corrosion cracking by removing the heavy sludge deposit, since a corrosive environment is formed in the occluded region under the sludge deposit. SGCC also enhances the detection capability of the eddy current inspection at the same time. Measurement of the size of each crack using the motorized rotating pancake coil probe indicated that the cracks in HB4 were shorter and substantially shallower than the cracks in HU3&4. It is believed that the cracks were shorter and shallower because the microstructure of the tubes in HB4 is less susceptible to ODSCC. It was readily understood from the size distribution of the cracks and the quantitative information available on the probability of detection that most cracks in HB4 had been undetected until the steam generators were chemically cleaned.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.84-91
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• 2016

The transport and deposition of corrosion products in pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR) steam generators have led to corrosion (SCC, denting etc.) problems. Lancing, mechanical cleaning and chemical cleaning have been used to reduce these problems. The methods of lancing and mechanical cleaning have limitations in removing corrosion products due to the structure of steam generator tubes. But high temperature chemical cleaning (HTCC) with EDTA is the most effective method to remove corrosion products regardless of the structure. However, EDTA in chemical cleaning aqueous solution and chemical cleaning environments affects the integrity of materials used in steam generators. The nuclear power plants have to perform the pre-test (also called as qualification test (QT)) that confirms the effect on the integrity of materials after HTCC. This is one of the series studies that assess the effect, and this study determines the effects of 20 % EDTA aqueous solution on defective tubes in high temperature chemical cleaning environments. The depth and magnitude of defects in steam generator (SG) tubes were measured by eddy current test (ECT) signals. Surface analysis and magnitude of defects were performed by using SEM/EDS. Corrosion rate was assessed by weight loss of specimens. The ECT signals (potential and depth %) of defective tubes increased marginally. But the lengths of defects, oxides on the surface and weights of specimens did not change. The average corrosion rate of standard corrosion specimens was negligible. But the surfaces on specimens showed traces of etching. The depth of etching showed a range on the nanometer. After comprehensive evaluation of all the results, it is concluded that 20 % EDTA aqueous solution in high temperature chemical cleaning environments does not have a negative effect on defective tubes.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.491-497
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• 1985

An applicaton of the linear optimal control theory to the problem or load follow control in pressurized water reactors (PWR) is investigated. In order to perform the steady-state and load follow operation in PWR, a nonlinear model for the reactor and steam generator is derived and linearized at 50% rated power. Simulation tests are performed for 10% demanded load. Comparing the dynamic response of the newly developed optimal load follow controller with those of the integral error feedback controller proposed by Yang, the rise time of dynamic response of the former is about 15 seconds faster than those of the latter, thus the results indicate that the fast response of the optimal load follow controller is verified. The results of this work are directly applicable to the design of the load follow control systems for commercially operated PWRs.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.835-838
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• 2002

An experiment has been performed using a facility, which simulates the safety depressurization system (SDS) and in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST) of APR1400, an advanced PWR being developed in Korea, to investigate the dynamic load resulting from the blowdown of steam from a steam generator through a sparser. The influence of the key parameters, such as air mass, steam pressure, submergence, valve opening time, and pool temperature, on frequency and peak toads was investigated. The blowdown phenomenon was analyzed to find out the real cause of the initiation of bubble oscillation and discrepancy in frequencies between the experiment and calculation by conventional equation for bubble oscillation. The cause of significant damping was discussed and is presumed to be the highly tortuous flow path around bubble. The Rayleigh-Plesset equation, which is modified by introducing method of image, reasonably reproduces the bubble oscillation in a confined tank. Right after the completion of air discharge the steam discharge immediately follows and it condenses abruptly to provide low-pressure pocket. It may contribute to the negative maximum being greater than positive maximum. The subsequently discharging steam does not play as at the driving force anymore.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.322-327
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• 2003

The water level of a steam generator of pressurized light water nuclear Power generator is known as a subject whose control is difficult because of a shrinking and swelling effect that is been mutually contradictory in a variation of feed water. In this paper, a neural network model selects first coordinative controller by a inappropriate gain of two PI controllers and the selected controller＇s gain is tuned by a fuzzy self-tuner. Model inputs consist of the water level, the feed water, and the stream flow. One controller of both coupling controllers whose gain is handled firstly is decided based upon above data. The proposed method can analyze patterns of signals using the characteristic of neural networks and select one controller that needs to be tuned through the observed result in this paper. If one controller between both the water level controller and the feed water controller is selected by the neural network model then a gain of the PI controller is suitably tuned by the fuzzy self-tuner. Rules of the fuzzy self-tuner drew from the pattern of input and output data. In the summary, the goal of this Paper is to select the suitable controller and tune the control gain of the selected controller suitably through such two processes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.20-24
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• 2015

Steam generator(S/G) tubes in pressurized water reactor (PWR's) are subject to several types of degradation. This degradation includes denting, pitting, intergranular attack(IGA), intergranular stress corrosion cracking(IGSCC), fatigue, fretting and wear. Degradation can be derived from either the primary side(inside) or the secondary side(outside) of the tube. Recent issue for tube degradation in domestic steam generator is the tube end cracking on seal weld region. The seal weld region at the tube end and tube itself is regarded as a pressure boundary between the primary side and the secondary side. One of the Westinghouse Model-F S/G has experienced tube end cracking and its number of plugging approximately becomes to the operating limit up to 5% due to tube end cracking which was reported as SAI/MAI(single/multiple axial indication) or SCI/MCI(Single/multiple circumferential indication) from the results of eddy current testing. Eddy current mock-up test was carried out to determine the origin of cracking whether it is from weld zone area or parent tube. This result was helpful to analyze crack location on ECT data. Correct action on this problem was the installation of tube-end sleeve. Last year, after removing 340 installed plugs from tubes, selected 269 tubes took tube-end sleeve installation. Tube-end sleeve brought pressure boundary from parent tube to installed sleeve tube. Tube-end sleeve has the benefit of reducing outage period and increasing more revenue than replacing S/G. This paper is provided to assist interest parties in effectively understanding this issue.