CANTIA Code for the Probabilistic Assessment of Inspection Strategies for Steam Generator Tubes

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shripad T. Revankar ◽  
Brian Wolf ◽  
Jovica R. Riznic
Keyword(s):  
Steam Generator ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Probabilistic Models ◽  
Crack Opening ◽  
Critical Flow ◽  
Probabilistic Assessment ◽  
Conditional Probabilities ◽  
Critical Flow Rate ◽  
Dose Limits ◽  
Steam Generator Tubes

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) recently developed the CANTIA methodology for probabilistic assessment of inspection strategies for steam generator tubes. Assessment of the conditional probabilities of tube failures, leak rates, and ultimately risk of exceeding licensing dose limits as an approach used to steam generator tube fitness-for-service assessment has been increasingly used in recent years throughout the nuclear power industry. The ANL/CANTIA code predictions were systematically studied to evaluate the code capability to predict the leak rates through the flawed steam generator tubes. In this evaluation the code models on the crack opening area, the probabilistic models and the critical flow rate models were studied and their applicability to available experimental data base was examined.

The Geometry of Steam Generator Tube and Its Relevance to the Occurrence of Stress Corrosion Cracking in Operating Nuclear Power Plants

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deok Hyun Lee ◽  
Do Haeng Hur ◽  
Myung Sik Choi ◽  
Kyung Mo Kim ◽  
Jung Ho Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Corrosion ◽  
Steam Generator ◽  
Stress Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Corrosion Cracking ◽  
Location Type ◽  
Steam Generator Tubes ◽  
Non Destructive

Occurrences of a stress corrosion cracking in the steam generator tubes of operating nuclear power plants are closely related to the residual stress existing in the local region of a geometric change, that is, expansion transition, u-bend, ding, dent, bulge, etc. Therefore, information on the location, type and quantitative size of a geometric anomaly existing in a tube is a prerequisite to the activity of a non destructive inspection for an alert detection of an earlier crack and the prediction of a further crack evolution [1].

Limit Loads for Circumferential Cracks in the Steam Generator Tube under Combined Pressure and Bending Loads

2007 ◽  
Vol 345-346 ◽  
pp. 1357-1360
Author(s):  
Hyun Su Kim ◽  
Tae Eun Jin ◽  
Hong Deok Kim ◽  
Han Sub Chung ◽  
Yoon Suk Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Steam Generator ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Plastic Material ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Limit Loads ◽  
Integrity Assessment ◽  
Bending Loads ◽  
Steam Generator Tubes

Steam generator in a nuclear power plant is huge heat exchanger that transfers heat from reactor to make steam to drive turbine-generator. Failure of the steam generator tubes can result in the release of fission products to the secondary side. Therefore, accurate integrity assessment of the cracked steam generator tubes is of great importance for maintaining the safety of the nuclear power plant. This paper provides limit loads for circumferential through-wall cracks in steam generator tubes under combined internal pressure and bending loads. Such limit loads are developed on the basis of three dimensional finite element analyses assuming elastic-perfectly plastic material behavior. As for the crack location, both the top of the tubesheet and U-bend regions are considered. The analysis results can be directly applied to the practical integrity assessment of cracked steam generator tubes, because the comparison between experimental data and FE results shows a very good agreement.

Experimental Investigation of Subcooled Choking Flow in a Steam Generator Tube Crack

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung Nguyen ◽  
Mark Brown ◽  
Shripad T. Revankar ◽  
Jovica Riznic
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Steam Generator ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Experimental Program ◽  
Steam Generators ◽  
Steam Generator Tube ◽  
Loss Of Coolant ◽  
Steam Generator Tubes

Steam generator tubes have a history of small cracks and even ruptures, which lead to a loss of coolant from the primary side to the secondary side. These tubes have an important role in reactor safety since they serve as one of the barriers between radioactive and non-radioactive materials of a nuclear power plant. A rupture then signifies the loss of the integrity of the tube itself. Therefore, choking flow plays an integral part not only in the engineered safeguards of a nuclear power plant, but also to everyday operation. There is limited data on actual steam generators tube wall cracks. Here experiments were conducted on choked flow of subcooled water through two samples of axial cracks of steam generator tubes taken from US PWR steam generators. The purpose of the experimental program was to develop database on critical flow through actual steam generator tube cracks with subcooled liquid flow at the entrance. The knowledge of this maximum flow rate through a crack in the steam generator tubes of a pressurized water nuclear reactor will allow designers to calculate leak rates and design inventory levels accordingly while limiting losses during loss of coolant accidents. The test facility design is modular so that various steam generator tube cracks can be studied. Two sets of PWR steam generators tubes were studied whose wall thickness is 1.285 mm. Tests were carried out at stagnation pressure up to 6.89 MPa and range of subcoolings 16.2–59°C. Based on these new choking flow data, the applicability of analytical models to highlight the importance of non-equilibrium effects was examined.

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