• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.44-49
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• 2013

As the polyethylene of high strength and ductility stabilized chemically has been mass-produced, it is spreading widely as material of industrial piping and water service piping. Recently, High density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe has been used even in water supply system of plant as buried pipe instead of cast iron pipe in domestic, but HDPE pipe has a probability of occurrence of damage if plant design and operating conditions are not considered. As a result of reviewing with respect of system design engineering based on operating conditions and verification test results, the specific design criteria for the use of HDPE piping in fire water supply system need to be established because of the possibility of crack damage due to water hammer.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2015

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping, which has recently been applied to safety class III piping in nuclear power plants, can be butt-joined through the thermal fusion process, which heats two fused surfaces and then subject to axial pressure. The thermal fusion process generates bead shapes on the butt fusion. The stress concentrations caused by the bead shapes may reduce the fatigue lifetime. Thus, investigating the effect of the thermal butt fusion beads on fatigue behavior is necessary. This study examined the fatigue behavior of thermal butt fusion via a tensile fatigue test under stress-controlled conditions using finite element elastic stress analysis. Based on the results, the presence of thermal butt fusion beads was confirmed to reduce the fatigue lifetime in the low-cycle fatigue region while having a negligible effect in the medium- and high-cycle fatigue regions.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.40-44
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• 2015

The fatigue behavior of thermal butt fusion in safety class III high-density polyethylene (HDPE) buried piping for nuclear power plants was investigated using load-controlled bending fatigue on four-point bend test specimens. Based on the results, the presence of thermal butt fusion beads was confirmed to reduce the fatigue lifetime in the low- and medium-cycle fatigue regions while having a negligible effect in the high-cycle fatigue regions.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.405-413
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• 2015

In the US, the number of cases of subterranean water contamination from tritium leaking through a damaged buried nuclear power plant pipe continues to increase, and the degradation of the buried metal piping is emerging as a major issue. A pipe blocked from corrosion and/or degradation can lead to loss of cooling capacity in safety-related piping resulting in critical issues related to the safety and integrity of nuclear power plant operation. The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes Committee (BPVC) has recently approved Code Case N-755 that describes the requirements for the use of polyethylene (PE) pipe for the construction of Section III, Division 1 Class 3 buried piping systems for service water applications in nuclear power plants. This paper contains tensile and slow crack growth (SCG) test results for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe welds under the environmental conditions of a nuclear power plant. Based on these tests, the fracture surface of the PENT specimen was analyzed, and the fracture mechanisms of each fracture area were determined. Finally, by using 3D finite element analysis, limit loads of HDPE related to premature failure were verified.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.33-39
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• 2016

A ground source heat pump (GSHP) system is recommended as a heating and cooling system to solve the pending energy problem in the field of air conditioning, because it has the highest efficiency. However, higher initial construction cost works as a barrier to the promotion and dissemination of GSHP system. In this study, numerical analysis on the characteristics of high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe with spiral inside was executed. The heat transfer and flow characteristics of it were compared with those of a conventional smooth HDPE pipe. The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of the spiral HDPE pipe were higher than those of the smooth HDPE pipes at the same fluid flow rate. By decreasing the flow rate, the spiral HDPE pipe represented similar values of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop to the smooth HDPE pipe. The lower flow rate of the spiral HDPE pipe comparing with it of the smooth HDPE pipe is estimated to reduce the length of the ground loop heat exchanger.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.45-50
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• 2015

In many cases, the field fracture mechanism of the thermoplastic pipe is considered as either brittle or environmental fractures. Thus the estimation of the lifetime by modeling slow crack growth considering such fracture mechanisms is required. In comparison of the some conventional and empirical equations to explain the slow crack growth rate such as the Paris' law, the crack layer theory can be used to simulate the crack and process zone growth behaviors precisely, so the lifetime of thermoplastic pipe can also be accurately estimated. In this study, the modified crack layer theory for the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of high density polyethylene is introduced with detailed algorithm. The oxidation induction time of the HDPE is also considered for the reduction of specific fracture energy during exposed to chemical environments. Furthermore, the parametric study for an important SCC parameter is conducted to understand the slow crack growth behavior of SCC.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

In nuclear power plants, lined carbon steel pipes or PCCPs (pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipes) have been widely used for sea water transport systems. However, de-bonding of linings and oxidation of PCCP could make problems in aged NPPs (nuclear power plants). Recently at several NPPs in the United States, the PCCPs or lined carbon steel pipes of the sea water or raw water system have been replaced with HDPE (high density polyethylene) pipes, which have outstanding resistance to oxidation and seismic loading. ASME B&PV Code committee developed Code Case N-755, which describes rules for the construction of buried Safety Class 3 polyethylene pressure piping systems. Although US NRC permitted HDPE materials for Class 3 buried piping, their permission was limited to only 10-year operation because of several concerns including the quality of fusion zone of HDPE. In this study, various requirements for fusion qualification test of HDPE and some regulatory issues raised during HDPE application review in foreign NPPs are introduced.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.307-313
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• 2010

In this study, alternative designs for the bends used in district heating pipes are investigated. The district heating pipes, which are subjected to temperatures of 10 to $120^{\circ}C$ and a water pressure of $16\;kgf/cm^2$, have to withstand thermomechanical cyclic loads when in use. These pipes comprise three concentric tubes: a steel pipe (internal), polyurethane (PUR) insulator (middle), and a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) case (external). In addition, the bends in the district heating pipe system are covered with foam pads that cause aging. In this study, an alternative bend design that does not involve the use of a foam pad is proposed to overcome the aging problem in the bends. In the proposed design, "shear rings" are added to the surface of a bend, and its dimensions are determined by a combination of the statistical (Taguchi) method and FEM. The geometrical parameters such as thickness, height, and number of the rings significantly affect the design optimization, and hence, they affect the results of the FEM.