• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2013

Some essential components in nuclear power plants are periodically inspected using non-destructive examinations, for example ultrasonic, eddy current and radiographic examinations, in order to determine their integrity. These components include nuclear power plant items such as vessels, containments, piping systems, pumps, valves, tubes and core support structure. Steam generator tubes have an important safety role because they constitute one of the primary barriers between the radioactive and non-radioactive sides of the nuclear power plant. There is potential that if a tube bursts while a plant is operating, radioactivity from the primary coolant system could escape directly to the atmosphere. Therefore, in-service inspections are critical in maintaining steam generator tube integrity. In general, the eddy current testing is widely used for the inspection of steam generator tubes due to its high inspection speed and flaw detectability on non-magnetic tubes. However, it is not easy to analyze correctly eddy current signals because they are influenced by many factors. Therefore, the performance of eddy current data analysts for steam generator tubing should be demonstrated comprehensively. In Korea, the performance of steam generator tubing analysts has been demonstrated using the Qualified Data Analyst program. This paper describes the performance demonstration program for steam generator tubing analysts and its implementation results in Korea. The pass rate of domestic analysts for this program was 71.4%.

• CORROSION AND PROTECTION
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2013

Austenitic stainless steels and Ni-base alloys are widely used as structural materials for major components and piping system in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). These austenitic alloys are known to be susceptible to environmental assisted cracking (EAC), such as environmentally-assisted fatigue (EAF) and primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) during long-term exposure to PWR primary water environment. In this paper, the current understanding on the phenomena and mechanisms of these EAC are briefly introduced using experimental results and literature review. The mechanisms for EAF and PWSCC for austenitic stainless steels and Ni-base alloys are discussed. Currently, austenitic stainless steels are known to be more susceptible to EAF, while less susceptible to PWSCC than Ni-base alloys. The possible explanations to such behaviors are proposed and discussed in view of the role of hydrogen and internal oxidation.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.105-110
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• 2014

The basic factors determining the amount of energy used in hospital buildings are weather conditions and building factors. But the real energy consumer is central plant equipment such as boilers and chillers that produce thermal energy for heating and cooling. Inaccurate decision of the primary equipment's size can cause a high initial-cost, an excessive equipment space, a wasted energy by low operation-efficiency and shortening of the machine's life. In this reason, the decision of optimal size for central plant equipment is very important. There are several factors for the decision such as an operation factor, a factor (equipment factor), piping losses and a simultaneous usage factor applied in the sizing process except a basic cooling load. But there is no standard method for applying those factors. Usually, factors are applied individually by an experience or custom of each engineer. In this study, the authors emphasize the meaning and the problem of those factors, examine them by analyzing factors which were applied to actual practices, and propose the recommendation value of safety, load, operation factors and application methods.

• Journal of KSNVE
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.827-834
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• 1996

The effect of pipe breaks in the secondary side is investigated as a part of the fuel assembly qualification program. Using the detailed dynamic analysis of a reactor core, peak responses for the motions induced from pipe breaks are obtained for a detailed core model. The secondary side pipe breaks such as main steam line and economizer feedwater line braksare considered because leak-before-break methodology has provided a technical basis for the elimination of double ended guillotine breaks of all high energy piping systems with a diameter of 10 inches or over in the primary side from the design basis. The dynamic responses such as fuel assembly shear force, bending moment, axial force and displacement, and spacer grid impact loads are carefully investigated. Also, the stress analysis is performed and the effect of the secondary side pipe breaks on the fuel assembly structural integrity under the faulted condition is addressed.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.900-907
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• 2000

The three-dimensional turbulent flow in curved pipes susceptible to flow-accelerated corrosion has been analyzed numerically to predict the pressure and shear stress distributions on the inner surface of the pipes. The analysis employs the body-fitted non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system and a standard $ {\kappa}-{\varepsilon}$ turbulence model with wall function method. The finite volume method is used to discretize the governing equations. The convection term is approximated by a high-resolution and bounded discretization scheme. The cell-centered, non-staggered grid arrangement is adopted and the resulting checkerboard pressure oscillation is prevented by the application of a modified version of momentum interpolation scheme. The SIMPLE algorithm is employed for the pressure and velocity coupling. The numerical calculations have been performed for two curved pipes with different bend angles and curvature radii, and discussions have been made on the distributions of the primary and secondary flow velocities, pressure and shear stress on the inner surface of the pipe to examine applicability of the present analysis method. As the result it is seen that the method is effective to predict the susceptible systems or their local areas where the fluid velocity or local turbulence is so high that the structural integrity can be threatened by wall thinning degradation due to flow-accelerated corrosion.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.83-88
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• 2011

To define the effect of strain rate variation from 0.04% to 0.004%/s on environmental fatigue of CF8M cast stainless steel, which is used as a primary piping material in nuclear power plants, low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted at operating pressure and temperature condition of a pressurized water reactor, 15 MPa and $315^{\circ}C$, respectively. A high-pressure and high-temperature autoclave and cylindrical solid fatigue specimens were used for the strain-controlled low-cycle environmental fatigue tests. It was observed that the fatigue life of CF8M stainless steel is shortened as the strain rate decreases. Due to the effect of test temperature, the fatigue data of NUREG-6909 appears a slightly shorter than that obtained by KEPRI at the same stress amplitude of $1{\times}10^3$ MPa. The environmental fatigue correction factor $F_{en}$'s calculated with inputs of the test data increases with high strain amplitude, while the $F_{en}$'s of NUREG-6909 remain constant regardless of strain amplitude.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.1323-1332
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• 2009

The IHX (Intermediate Heat eXchanger) for a pool-type SFR (Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor) system transfers heat from the primary high temperature sodium to the intermediate cold temperature sodium. The upper structure of the IHX is a coaxial structure designed to form a flow path for both the secondary high temperature and low temperature sodium. The coaxial structure of the IHX consists of a central downcomer and riser for the incoming and outgoing intermediate sodium, respectively. The IHX of a pool-type SFR is supported at the upper surface of the reactor head with an IHX support structure that connects the IHX riser cylinder to the reactor head. The reactor head is generally maintained at the low temperature regime, but the riser cylinder is exposed in the elevated temperature region. The resultant complicated temperature distribution of the co-axial structure including the IHX support structure may induce a severe thermal stress distribution. In this study, the structural feasibility of the current upper support structure concept is investigated through a preliminary stress analysis and an alternative design concept to accommodate the IHTS (Intermediate Heat Transport System) piping expansion loads and severe thermal stress is proposed. Through the structural analysis it is found that the alternative design concept is effective in reducing the thermal stress and acquiring structural integrity.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.838-849
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• 2017

This paper proposes penalty factor equations that take into consideration the weld strength over-match given in the classified form similar to the revised equations presented in the Code Case N-779 via cyclic elastic-plastic finite element analysis. It was found that the $K_e$ analysis data reflecting elastic follow-up can be consolidated by normalizing the primary-plus-secondary stress intensity ranges excluding the nonlinear thermal stress intensity component, $S_n$ to over-match degree of yield strength, $M_F$. For the effect of over-match on $K_n{\times}K_{\nu}$, dispersion of the $K_n{\times}K_{\nu}$ analysis data can be sharply reduced by dividing total stress intensity range, excluding local thermal stresses, $S_{p-lt}$ by $M_F$. Finally, the proposed equations were applied to the weld between the safe end and the piping of a pressurizer surge nozzle in pressurized water reactors in order to calculate a cumulative usage factor. The cumulative usage factor was then compared with those derived by the previous $K_e$ factor equations. The result shows that application of the proposed equations can significantly reduce conservatism of fatigue assessment using the previous $K_e$ factor equations.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.1805-1815
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• 2019

While nickel-based alloys have been widely used for power plants due to corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties, during the last couple of decades, failures of nuclear components increased gradually. One of main degradation mechanisms was primary water stress corrosion cracking at dissimilar metal welds of piping and reactor head penetrations. In this context, precise estimation of welding effects became an important issue for ensuring reliability of them. The present study deals with a series of finite element analyses and crack growth rate evaluation of Alloys 690/152. Firstly, variation of residual stresses and equivalent plastic strains was simulated taking into account welding of a cylindrical block. Subsequently, extraction and pre-cracking of compact tension (CT) specimens were considered from different locations of the block. Finally, crack growth curves of the alloys and heat affected zone were developed based on analyses results combined with experimental data in references. Characteristics of crack growth behaviors were also discussed in relation to mechanical and fracture parameters.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3567-3579
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• 2022

This paper provides an assessment of fluid transport and mixing processes inside the primary circuit of the test facility ROCOM through the numerical simulation of Test 2.1 with the system code ATHLET. The experiment represents an asymmetric injection of cold and non-borated water into the reactor coolant system (RCS) of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) to restore core cooling, an emergency procedure which may subsequently trigger a core re-criticality. The injection takes place at low velocity under single-phase subcooled conditions and presents a major challenge for the simulation in lumped parameter codes, due to multidimensional effects in horizontal piping and vessel arising from density gradients and gravity forces. Aiming at further validating ATHLET 3-D capabilities against horizontal geometries, the experiment conditions are applied to a ROCOM model, which includes a newly developed horizontal pipe object to enhance code prediction inside coolant loops. The obtained results show code strong simulation capabilities to represent multidimensional flows. Enhanced prediction is observed at the vessel inlet compared to traditional 1-D approach, whereas mixing overprediction from the descending denser plume is observed at the upper-half downcomer region, which leads to eventual deviations at the core inlet.