• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.225-234
• /
• 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.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.28-35
• /
• 2021

The flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) is one of significant aging and degradation mechanism and can affect structural integrity of CANDU feeder pipes. Pipe burst can occur under normal operation pressure (min. 10 MPa) if wall-thinning of the feeder pipe due to FAC is accumulated. Previous studies considered simple shapes of feeder pipe with local wall-thinning in order to conservatively assess structural integrity of wall-thinned feeder pipe. In this paper, a new FE model is developed, having an actual shape of the feeder pipe (double bent) as well as the actual wall-thinning shape and location based on the in-service inspection result. Then, the burst pressure assessment of the wall-thinned feeder pipe is performed using lower bound limit load analysis considering elastic-perfectly plastic material. In addition, an improved formulation to predict the burst pressure of the wall-thinned feeder pipe is presented and the safety margin is compared with an existing assessment method.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.11-18
• /
• 2022

When wall-thinning in a pipe occurs during operation of nuclear power plant, reinforcement of the pipe needs to be performed. Accordingly, the structural response of the piping system due to introduction of the reinforcement may be re-evaluated. For elastic structural analysis of the piping system with the reinforced pipe using finite element (FE) analysis, the stiffness of the reinforced pipe is needed. In this study, the stiffness matrix of wall-thinned pipe with pad reinforcement or composite reinforcement is analytically derived. The validity of the proposed equations is checked by comparing with systematic finite element (FE) analysis results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.11
• /
• pp.2678-2685
• /
• 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.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.742-749
• /
• 2003

Failure of a pipeline due to local wall thinning is getting more attention in the nuclear power plant industry. Although guidelines such as ANSI/ASME B31G and ASME Code Case N597 are still useful fer assessing the integrity of a wall thinned pipeline, there are some limitations in these guidelines. For instance, these guidelines consider only pressure loading and thus neglect bending loading. However, most Pipelines in nuclear power plants are subjected to internal pressure and bending moment due to dead-weight loads and seismic loads. Therefore, an assessment procedure for locally wall thinned pipeline subjected to combined loading is needed. In this paper, three-dimensional finite element(FE) analyses were performed to simulate full-scale pipe tests conducted for various shapes of wall thinned area under internal pressure and bending moment. Maximum moments based on true ultimate stress(${\alpha}$$\sub$u,t/) were obtained from FE results to predict the failure of the pipe. These results were compared with test results, which showed good agreement. Additional finite element analyses were performed to investigate the effect of key parameters, such as wall thinned depth, wall thinned angle and wall thinned length, on maximum moment. Also, the effect of internal pressure on maximum moment was investigated. Change of internal pressure did not show significant effect on the maximum moment.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.33 no.12
• /
• pp.1393-1400
• /
• 2009

The objective of this study is to validate local failure criteria, which were proposed based on the notched-bar specimen tests combining with finite element (FE) simulations, using the results of real-scale pipe failure tests. This study conducted burst test using wall-thinned pipe specimens, which were made of 4 inch Sch.80 ASTM A106 Gr.B carbon steel pipe, under simple internal pressure at ambient temperature and performed associated FE simulations. Failure pressures were estimated by applying the failure criteria to the results of FE simulations and were compared with experimental failure pressures. It showed that the local stress based criterion, given as true ultimate tensile stress of material, accurately estimated the failure pressure of wall-thinned pipe specimens. However, the local strain based criterion, which is fracture strain of material as a function of stress tri-axiality, could not predict the failure pressure. It was confirmed that the local stress based criterion is reliably applicable to estimation of failure pressure of local wall-thinned piping components.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2015

Local wall thinning and integrity degradation caused by several mechanisms, such as flow accelerated corrosion, cavitation, flashing and/or liquid droplet impingement, is a main concern in secondary steam cycle piping system of nuclear power plants in terms of safety and operability. Thinned pipe management program (TPMP) has being developed and optimized to reduce the possibility of unplanned shutdown and/or power reduction due to pipe failure caused by wall thinning. In this paper, newest technologies, standards and regulations related to the integrity assessment, repair and replacement of thinned pipe component are reviewed. And technical improvement items in TPMP to secure the reliability and effectiveness are also presented.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2015

Local wall thinning and integrity degradation caused by several mechanisms, such as flow accelerated corrosion (FAC), cavitation, flashing and/or liquid drop impingements, are a main concern in carbon steel piping systems of nuclear power plant in terms of safety and operability. Thinned pipe management program (TPMP) had been developed and optimized to reduce the possibility of unplanned shutdown and/or power reduction due to pipe failure caused by wall thinning in the secondary side piping system. This program also consists of several technical elements such as prediction of wear rate for each component, prioritization of components for inspection, thickness measurement, calculation of actual wear and wear rate for each component. Decision making is associated with replacement or continuous service for thinned pipe components. Establishment of long-term strategy based on diagnosis of plant condition regarding overall wall thinning is also essential part of the program. Prediction models of wall thinning caused by FAC had been established for 24 operating nuclear plants. Long term strategies to manage the thinned pipe component were prepared and applied to each unit, which was reflecting plant specific design, operation, and inspection history, so that the structural integrity of piping system can be maintained. An alternative integrity assessment criterion and a computer program for thinned piping items were developed for the first time in the world, which was directly applicable to the secondary piping system of nuclear power plant. The thinned pipe management program is applied to all domestic nuclear power plants as a standard procedure form so that it contributes to preventing an accident caused by FAC.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.323-330
• /
• 2012

The development of data-based models requires uncertainty analysis to explain the accuracy of their predictions. In this paper, an uncertainty analysis of the support vector regression (SVR) model, which is a data-based model, was performed because previous research showed that the SVR method accurately estimates the collapse moments of wall-thinned pipe bends and elbows. The uncertainty analysis method used in this study was an analytic uncertainty analysis method, and estimates with a 95% confidence interval were obtained for 370 test data points. From the results, the prediction interval (PI) was very narrow, which means that the predicted values are quite accurate. Therefore, the proposed SVR method can be used effectively to assess and validate the integrity of the wall-thinned pipe bends and elbows.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2004.04a
• /
• pp.264-267
• /
• 2004

Wall thinning of carbon steel pipe components due to Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) is one of the most serious threats to the integrity of steam cycle piping systems in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). Since the mid-1990s, secondary side piping systems in Korean NPPs have experienced wall thinning, leakages and ruptures caused by FAC. Korea Electric power Research Institute (KEPRI) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., LTD. (KHNP) have conducted a study to develop the methodology for systematic pipe management and established the Korean Thinned Pipe Management Program (TPMP). To effectively maintain the integrity of piping system, FAC engineer should understand the criterions of the structural integrity evaluation and the safety margin assessment for the thinned pipe component. This paper describes the technical items of TPMP, and shows the example of the integrity evaluation and safety margin assessment for three thinned pipe component of a NPP.