Experimental and Numerical Study on Pressure Pulsations Under Various Acoustic Boundary Conditions in Piping Systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Maekawa ◽  
Takashi Tsuji ◽  
Michiyasu Noda ◽  
Tsuneo Takahashi ◽  
Minoru Kato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Control Valve ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Improve Design ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Experiment And Simulation

To improve design and troubleshooting techniques of piping systems for operating power plants, it is necessary to investigate, by experiment and simulation, the behavior of fluid inside the piping system in detail. This study was conducted using full-scale piping system under conditions that could seriously threaten the plant operation, by matching pressure pulsations, acoustic resonance, and piping natural frequency. Although piping vibration is reported to influence fluid pressure pulsations, there were no such examples of influence in this experiment. Knowing that the opening ratio of the pressure control valve affects the boundary condition for acoustic resonance, experiment and simulation at different opening ratios were conducted. It has been suggested that the cases in which a valve partially open at 25% or less should not be taken as a closed end. This finding conflicts with such a widespread design assumption.

Experiment and Simulation on Pressure Pulsation Accompanied by Acoustic Resonance and Piping Vibration

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Tsuji ◽  
Akira Maekawa ◽  
Tsuneo Takahashi ◽  
Michiyasu Noda ◽  
Minoru Kato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Pulsation ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Control Valve ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Pressure Control ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
Opening Ratio ◽  
Pressure Control Valve ◽  
Improve Condition

To improve condition-based maintenance (CBM) techniques for operating plants, it is necessary to investigate, by experiments and numerical simulations, on the behavior of fluid inside piping system in detail. This study was conducted using the full-scale piping system under conditions that could seriously threaten the plant operation, by matching pressure pulsation, acoustic resonance and piping natural frequency. Although piping vibration is reported to influence fluid pressure pulsation, there were few examples of such influence in the conditions of this experiment. Knowing that the opening ratio of the pressure control valve affects the boundary condition for acoustic resonance, the experiment and numerical simulation at different opening ratios were conducted. It was suggested that there are cases in which a valve partially open at 25% or less shouldn’t be taken as a closed end. This finding conflicts with widespread design assumption.

Experimental Evaluation of Resonance Frequency at Branch Section in Each Dry and Wet Steam Flow

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuta Uchiyama ◽  
Ryo Morita
Keyword(s):  
Resonance Frequency ◽  
Sound Speed ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Steam Flow ◽  
Theoretical Equation ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Wet Steam ◽  
Piping Systems

Flow-induced acoustic resonances of piping system containing closed side-branches are sometimes encountered in power plants. In U.S. NPP, the steam dryer had been damaged by high cycle fatigue due to acoustic-induced vibration under a power uprating condition. The steam piping systems of actual power plants often have nearly saturated wet steam condition. Resonance frequency at branch section is one of important factors for evaluation and prediction of acoustic resonance. However, the resonance frequency in steam condition could not be estimated by using theoretical equation since the end correction under steam condition is not clarified. In addition, sound speed in wet steam, which is evaluated by theoretical isentropic equation, may be different from practical sound speed in wet steam. Although there are several previous studies about acoustic resonance, most of them are not steam flow but air flow. In the present study, the end correction in each dry and wet steam and sound speed of wet steam was evaluated from experimental results of dominant frequency of fluctuating pressure. As a result, method for predicting resonance frequency by using theoretical equation in each dry and wet steam condition was proposed.

Experimental Investigation for Acoustic Resonance in Tandem Branches Under Each Dry and Wet Steam Flow

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuta Uchiyama ◽  
Ryo Morita
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
High Cycle Fatigue ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Steam Flow ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Wet Steam ◽  
Resonance Amplitude ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Wet Steam Flow

Flow-induced acoustic resonances of piping system containing closed side-branches are sometimes encountered in power plants. In the United States, the steam dryer in boiling water reactor had been damaged by high cycle fatigue due to acoustic-induced vibration under a power uprating condition. The steam piping systems of current power plants often have nearly saturated wet steam condition. The side-branches of current power plants vary in their configuration (single, tandem, and coaxial), number, and so on. Therefore, many types of flow-induced acoustic resonance at branch piping have been investigated by many researchers. However, most of previous studies were under air flow condition and there were few previous experiments under wet steam flow. In this study, some types of the acoustic resonance at branch piping are investigated by conducting experiments under each dry and wet steam conditions. As a result, it is clarified that influence of branch configurations (single or tandem) on resonance amplitude and frequency under steam flow. In addition, their differences between dry and wet steam are discussed.

Sensitivity Analyses for a PWR SCC Case Using the Probabilistic Loss-of-Coolant-Accident (Pro-LOCA) Software

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Young ◽  
Sang-Min Lee ◽  
Paul M. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Design Criterion ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Loss Of Coolant Accident ◽  
Piping Systems

As a means of demonstrating compliance with the United States Code of Federal Regulations 10CFR50 Appendix A, General Design Criterion 4 (GDC-4) requirement that primary piping systems for nuclear power plants exhibit an extremely low probability of rupture, probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) software has become increasingly popular. One of these PFM codes for nuclear piping is Pro-LOCA which has been under development over the last decade. Currently, Pro-LOCA is being enhanced under an international cooperative program entitled PARTRIDGE-II (Probabilistic Analysis as a Regulatory Tool for Risk-Informed Decision GuidancE - Phase II). This paper focuses on the use of a pre-defined set of base-case inputs along with prescribed variation in some of those inputs to determine a comparative set of sensitivity analyses results. The benchmarking case was a circumferential Primary Water Stress Corrosion Crack (PWSCC) in a typical PWR primary piping system. The effects of normal operating loads, temperature, leak detection, inspection frequency and quality, and mitigation strategies on the rupture probability were studied. The results of this study will be compared to the results of other PFM codes using the same base-case and variations in inputs. This study was conducted using Pro-LOCA version 4.1.9.

Effects on Pipe Vibrations of Cavitation in an Orifice and in Globe-Style Valves

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Se´bastien Caillaud ◽  
Rene´-Jean Gibert ◽  
Pierre Moussou ◽  
Joe¨l Cohen ◽  
Fabien Millet
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Flow Regimes ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Choked Flow ◽  
Single Hole ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Large Amplitude Vibrations

A piping system of French nuclear power plants displays large amplitude vibrations in particular flow regimes. These troubles are attributed to cavitation generated by single-hole orifices in depressurized flow regimes. Real scale experiments on high pressure test rigs and on-site tests are then conducted to explain the observed phenomenon and to find a solution to reduce pipe vibrations. The first objective of the present paper is to analyze cavitation-induced vibrations in the single-hole orifice. It is then shown that the orifice operates in choked flow with supercavitation, which is characterized by a large unstable vapor pocket. One way to reduce pipe vibrations consists in suppressing the orifices and in modifying the control valves. Three technologies involving a standard trim and anti-cavitation trims are tested. The second objective of the paper is to analyze cavitation-induced vibrations in globe-style valves. Cavitating valves operate in choked flow as the orifice. Nevertheless, no vapor pocket appears inside the pipe and no unstable phenomenon is observed. The comparison with an anti-cavitation solution shows that cavitation reduction has no impact on low frequency excitation. The effect of cavitation reduction on pipe vibrations, which involve essentially low frequencies, is then limited and the first solution, which is the standard globe-style valve installed on-site, leads to acceptable pipe vibrations. Finally, this case study may have consequences on the design of piping systems. First, cavitation in orifices must be limited. Choked flow in orifices may lead to supercavitation, which is here a damaging and unstable phenomenon. The second conclusion is that the reduction of cavitation in globe-style valve in choked flow does not reduce pipe vibrations. The issue is then to limit cavitation erosion of valve trims.

Analysis of Pressure Pulsations in Reciprocating Compressor Piping Systems

1966 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Grover
Keyword(s):  
Field Test ◽  
Test Data ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Reciprocating Compressor ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
System A ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Limiting Condition

This paper deals with pulsations in pressure and flow in the reciprocating compressor and connected piping system. A model is presented that describes the excitation at the compressor and the propagation of the pulsations in the interconnected piping. It has been adapted to digital computations to predict the pulse magnitudes in reciprocating compressor piping systems and to assess measures for their control. Predicted results have been compared with field test data and with simplified limiting condition results. A discussion of its practical application is included.

Pulsation suppression in a reciprocating compressor piping system using a two-tank element

2017 ◽  
Vol 232 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quyang Ma ◽  
Zhenhuan Wu ◽  
Guoan Yang ◽  
Yue Ming ◽  
Zheng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Wave Theory ◽  
Damping Coefficient ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Surge Tank ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Gas Pulsations

Gas pulsations excited by reciprocating compressors could introduce severe vibrations and noise in piping systems. When pulsating gas flows through the reducers, the changes in flow characteristics, such as velocity and damping coefficient, will affect the pressure pulsations. To circumvent these constraints, a two-tank element is introduced to control the gas pulsation that is still strong in the piping system with a surge tank. Installing another surge tank to form a two-tank element is more flexible and costs lower than replacing the original surge tank with a larger one. In this work, a theoretical model based on the wave theory was proposed to study the transferring mechanism of gas pulsations in the pipeline with the two-tank element. By considering the damping coefficient and the Mach number, the distributions of the pressure pulsations were predicted by the theoretical model and agreed with the three-dimensional fluid dynamics transient analysis. Three experiments were conducted to prove that the suppression capability of the two-tank element is as good as that of a single-tank element (surge tank) with the same surge volume. The volume optimization of the two-tank element is implemented by selecting the best allocations of the two tanks’ volumes to achieve larger reductions of pressure pulsations. Assuming that the total surge volume is constant, we found that the smaller the volume of the front tank (near the cylinder) is, the lower the pulsation levels are. The optimized result proves that in some conditions the two-tank element could control pulsations better than the single-tank element with the same surge volume.

Improvement of the Damping Constants for Seismic Design of Piping System for NPP

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Kobayashi ◽  
Takashi Satoh ◽  
Nobuyuki Kojima ◽  
Kiyoshi Hattori ◽  
Masaki Nakagawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Piping Systems ◽  
Support Element ◽  
Present Design ◽  
Bolt Support

The present design damping constants for nuclear power plant (NPP)’s piping system in Japan were developed through discussion among expert researchers, electric utilities and power plant manufactures. They are standardized in “Technical guidelines for seismic design of Nuclear Power Plants” (JEAG 4601-1991 Supplemental Edition). But some of the damping constants are too conservative because of a lack of experimental data. To improve this excessive conservatism, piping systems supported by U-bolts were chosen and U-bolt support element test and piping model excitation test were performed to obtain proper damping constants. The damping mechanism consists of damping due to piping materials, damping due to fluid interaction, damping due to plastic deformation of piping and supports, and damping due to friction and collision between piping and supports. Because the damping due to friction and collision was considered to be dominant, we focused our effort on formulating these phenomena by a physical model. The validity of damping estimation method was confirmed by comparing data that was obtained from the elemental tests and the actual scale piping model test. New design damping constants were decided from the damping estimations for piping systems in an actual plant. From now on, we will use the new design damping constants for U-bolt support piping systems, which were proposed from this study, as a standard in the Japanese piping seismic design.

Development of Elastic-Plastic Constitutive Models for the Evaluation of Nuclear Piping Systems Under Severe Cyclic Loading

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukio Takahashi ◽  
Yoshihiko Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Loading ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Kinematic Hardening ◽  
Constitutive Models ◽  
Seismic Loading ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Elastic Plastic ◽  
Piping Systems

It is essential to predict the behavior of nuclear piping system under seismic loading to evaluate the structural integrity of nuclear power plants. Relatively large stress cycles may be applied to the piping systems under severe seismic loading and plastic deformation may occur cyclically in some portion of the systems. Accurate description of inelastic deformation under cyclic loading is indispensable for the precise estimation of strain cycles and accumulation potentially leading to the failure due to fatigue-ratcheting interaction. Elastic-plastic constitutive models based on the nonlinear kinematic hardening rule proposed by Ohno and Wang were developed for type 316 austenitic stainless steel and carbon steel JIS STPT410 (similar to ASTM A106 Gr.B), both of which are used in piping systems in nuclear power plants. Different deformation characteristics under cyclic loading in terms of memory of prior hardening were observed on these two materials and they were reflected in the modeling. Results of simulations under various loading conditions were compared with the test data to demonstrate the high capability of the constitutive models.

Elastic-Plastic Analysis of Thick-Walled Toroidal Pressure Vessels

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Adibi-Asl
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Toroidal Shell ◽  
Piping System ◽  
Straight Pipe ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Process Industries ◽  
Piping Systems

Piping systems in process industries and nuclear power plants include straight pipe runs and various fittings such as elbows, miter bends etc. Elbows and bends in piping systems provide additional flexibility to the piping system along with performing the primary function of changing the direction of fluid flow. Distinctive geometry of these toroidal shell components result in a structural behavior different from straight pipe. Hence, it would be useful to predict the behavior of these components with acceptable accuracy for design purposes. Analytical expressions are derived for stresses set up during loading and unloading in a toroidal shell subjected to internal pressure. Residual stresses in the component are also evaluated. The proposed solutions are then compared with three-dimensional finite element analysis at different locations including intrados, extrados and flanks.

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