• 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.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.400-408
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• 2003

This paper investigates the vibration characteristics of steam generator (SG) U-tubes with defect. The operating SG shell-side flow field conditions for determining the fluidelastic instability parameters such as added mass are obtained from three-dimensional SG flow calculation. Modal analyses are performed for the U-tubes either with axial or circumferential flaw with different sizes. Special emphases are on the effects of flaw orientation and size on the modal and instability characteristics of tubes, which are expressed in terms of the natural frequency, corresponding mode shape and stability ratio. Also, addressed is the effect of the internal pressure on the vibration characteristics of the tube.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1006-1013
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• 2004

Operating experience of steam generators shows that the tubes are degraded by stress corrosion cracking, fretting wear and so on. These defected tubes could stay in service if it is proved that the tubes have sufficient structural margin to preclude the risk of tube bursting. This paper provides detailed plastic limit pressure solutions for through-wall cracks in the steam generator tubes. These are developed based on three dimensional(3D) finite element analyses assuming elastic-perfectly plastic material behavior. Both axial and circumferential through-wall cracks in free span and in u-bend regions are considered. The resulting limit pressure solutions are given in a polynomial form, and thus can be simply used in practical integrity assessment of the steam generator tubes.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.7-12
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• 2012

Steam generator tubes are critical boundary of the primary and secondary side in nuclear power plants. Eddy current testing is commonly used as the method of non-destructive testing for the safety and integrity of steam generator tubes in the nuclear power plants. Changes in the geometric shape act as a stress concentration factor likely to cause a defect during the steam generator operation. The mixed-signals with the geometric shape are distorted and attributes that are difficult to detect signals. An example is bending stress due to compression process at a U-bend occurring in the intrados region which has a small radius of curvature. The resulting change in the geometric shape may lead to a dent like occurrences. The dent can cause stress concentration and generates stress corrosion cracks. In this study, the steam generator tubes of nuclear power plant were selected to study for analysis of mixed-signal containing dent and stress corrosion cracks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.442-453
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• 2003

This study investigates the safety assessment of the potential for fretting-wear damages on steam generator (SG) U-tubes caused by foreign object in operating nuclear power plants. The operating SG shell-side flow field conditions are obtained from three-dimensional SG flow calculation using the ATHOS3 code. Modal analyses are performed for the finite element modelings of U-tubes to get the natural frequency, corresponding mode shape and participation factor. The wear rate of U-tube caused by foreign object is calculated using the Archard formula and the remaining life of the tube is predicted. Also, discussed in this study is the effect of the flow velocity and vibration of the tube on the remaining life of the tube.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.2 s.257
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• pp.277-284
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• 2007

The steam generator in a nuclear power plant is a large heat exchanger that uses heat from a reactor to generate steam to drive the turbine generator. Rupture of a steam generator tube can result in release of fission products to environment outside. Therefore, an accurate integrity assessment of the steam generator tubes with cracks is of great importance for maintaining the safety of a nuclear power plant. The steam generator tubes are supported at regular intervals by support plates and rotations of the tubes are restrained. Although it has been reported that the limit load for a circumferential crack is significantly affected by boundary condition of the tube, existing limit load solutions do not consider the restraining effect of support plate correctly. In addition, there are no limit load solutions for circumferential cracks in U-bend region with the effect of the support plate. This paper provides detailed limit load solutions for circumferential cracks in top of tube sheet and the U-bend regions of the steam generator tube with the actual boundary conditions to simulate the restraining effect of the support plate. Such solutions are developed based on three dimensional finite element analyses. The resulting limit load solutions are given in a polynomial form, and thus can be simply used in practical integrity assessment of the steam generator tubes.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.828-833
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• 2001

In this study, an analysis tool to assess the susceptibility of steam generator tubes due to the flow-induced vibration was developed. The fluid-elastic instability analysis of the U-tube bundle for CE-type steam generator was accomplished. The effective mass distribution along the U-tube was obtained to calculate the natural frequency and dynamic mode shape. Finally, stability ratios for selected tubes are obtained.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.1400-1405
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• 2001

In this study, an analysis program to assess the susceptibility of steam generator tubes due to the flow-induced vibration was developed. Analysis of fluid-elastic instability and random turbulence excitation for the U-tube bundle in CE-type steam generator was accomplished. The effective mass distribution along the U-tube was obtained to calculate the natural frequency and dynamic mode shape. Finally, stability ratios and rms vibration amplitude for selected tubes are obtained.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.200-214
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• 1993

This paper presents the results of fluidelastic instability analysis performed for the U-tube bundle of a Westinghouse model 51 steam generator, one of the recirculating types designed at an early stage, in which the principal region of external cross-flow is associated with the U-bend portion of tube. The prerequisites for this analysis are detailed informations of the secondary side flow conditions in the steam generator and the free vibration behaviours of the U-tubes. In this study, the three-dimensional two-phase flow field in the steam generator has been calculated employing the ATHOS3 steam generator two-phase flow code and the ANSYS engineering analysis code has been used to calculate the free vibration responses of specific U tubes under consideration. The assessment of the potential instability for the suspect U-tubes, which is the final analysis process of the present work, has been accomplished by combining the secondary side velocity and density distributions obtained from the ATHOS3 prediction with the relative modal displacement and natural frequency data calculated using the ANSYS code. The damping of tubes in two-phase flow has been deduced from the existing experimental data by taking into account the secondary side void fraction effect. In operation of the steam generator, the tube support conditions at the tube-to-tube support plate intersections due to either tube denting degradation or deposition of tube support plate corrosion products or ingression of dregs. Thus, various hypothetical cases regarding the tube support conditions at the tube-to-tube support plate intersections have been considered to investigate the clamped support effects on the forced vibration response of the tube. Also, the effect of anti-vibration bars support in the curved portion of tube has been examined.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.666-676
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• 2021

This paper presents numerical estimation of burst pressures of axial cracked U-bend tubes, considering the U-bending process analysis. The validity of the FE simulations is confirmed by comparing with published experimental data. From parametric analyses, it is shown that existing EPRI burst pressure estimation equations for straight tubes can be conservatively used to estimate burst pressures of the U-bend tubes. This is due to the increase in yield strength during the U-bending process. The degree of conservatism would decrease with increasing the bend radius and with increasing the crack depth.