• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.8-17
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• 1999

Unfortunately leaks occur in heat exchangers periodically, usually at the tube to tubeplate joint. The usual method of repair is to plug off the defective area and isolate the tubes of concern from the circuit. If the leaks continua the thermal capacity of the units is progressively reduced and for this reason the alternative of using an internal bridging sleeve has been examined. This paper discusses the overall development activities that has been found necessary to bring this repair procedure to a successful conclusion for use on the nuclear steam generator. In this work we have investigated optimum explosives and explosive quality, explosive sleeving's thickness, the design of sheath stress relieving heat treatment pull-out load, hydraulic leakage, stress corrosion cracking properties. The results obtain are as follows : (1) The optimum explosives and explosive qualities are PETN and about 15~40 gr/ft of explosive sleeving in nuclear steam generator. (2) Explosive sleeving's thickness is 1.1~l.4mm, If groove of 0.35mm formed in sleeve outside existed, For the hydraulic leakage is go up, explosive sleeving of formed groove are applicate tube and turnplate. (3) If the stress relieving heat treatment are experiment in $750^\circ{C}$, $850^\circ{C}$, 15 minutes Pull-out strength of sleeving 1,500~2,300kg, hydraulic leakage is $250kg/cm^2$.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.18-31
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• 1999

The explosive forming has been used for many year to expand tubes into tubesheets. this process has demonstrated ability to direct carefully the energy of an explosive to expand tubes into tubesheet holes without damaging the tubesheet and without causing the excessive cold work at the tube I.D. that is normally associated with mechanical expansion. The success of explosive tube expansion provided the background for the development of the explosive tube plug. The main results are as follows : (1) The optimum explosives and explosive qualities are PETN, RDX, HMS and about 18~31gr/ft of explosive plugging in nuclear steam generator. (2) Explosive plugging's thickness is 0.9~1.8mm. If groove of 0.4 mm formed in plug outside, For the hydraulic leakage is go up, explosive plugging of formed groove are applicate tube and tubrplate. (3) Sheath is designed on the polyethylene of low density, In thermal impact test of the $430^\circ{C}$, hydraulic leakage is $300kg/cm^2$. (4) About 10~60mm oxide inclusions are existed on the space of explosive plug and tube protect to the leakage.