• 시스템엔지니어링학술지
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.25-40
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• 2016

The Systems Engineering (SE) approach is characterized by the application of a structured engineering methodology for the design of a complex system or component. In this study, the SE methodology is used to design a nondestructive inspection system for Bottom Mounted Instrumentation (BMI) nozzles. We developed a system that enables nondestructive inspection of BMI nozzles during regular refueling outage without removing the reactor internals. A special ultrasonic (UT) probe is introduced to scan and detect cracks within the weld region of the nozzle. A 3D model of the inspection structure system was developed along with the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and internals which permits a virtual 3D simulation of the operation to check the design concept and effectiveness of the system and to provide a good visualization of the system. This approach allows for a virtual walk through to verify the proposed BMI nozzle inspection system.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제34권5호
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• pp.13-18
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• 2016

Toshiba has developed a laser peening system for PWRs(pressurized water reactors) as well after the one for BWRs(boiling water reactors), and applied it for BMI(bottom-mounted instrumentation) nozzles, core deluge line nozzles and primary water inlet nozzles of Ikata Unit 1 and 2 of Shikoku Electric Power Company since 2004, which are Japanese operating PWR power plants. Laser pulses were delivered through twin optical fibers and irradiated on two portions in parallel to reduce operation time. For BMI nozzles, we developed a tiny irradiation head for small tubes and we peened the inner surface around J-groove welds after laser ultrasonic testing (LUT) as the remote inspection, and we peened the outer surface and the weld for Ikata Unit 2 supplementary. For core deluge line nozzles and primary water inlet nozzles, we peened the inner surface of the dissimilar metal welding, which is of nickel base alloy, joining a safe end and a low alloy metal nozzle. In this paper, the development and the actual application of the laser peening system for PWR power plants will be described.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.228-235
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• 2016

Flaws at dissimilar metal welds (DMWs), such as reactor coolant systems components, Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM), Bottom Mounted Instrumentation (BMI) etc., in nuclear power plants have been found. Notably, primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in the DMWs could cause significant reliability problems at nuclear power plants. Therefore, phased array ultrasound is widely used for inspecting surface break cracks and stress corrosion cracks in DMWs. However, inspection of DMWs using phased array ultrasound has a relatively low probability of detection of cracks, because the crystalline structure of welds causes distortion and splitting of the ultrasonic beams which propagates anisotropic medium. Therefore, advanced evaluation techniques of phased array ultrasound are needed for improvement in the probability of detection of flaws in DMWs. Thus, in this study, an investigation of focusing and steering phased array ultrasound in DMWs was carried out using a time reversal technique, and an adaptive focusing technique based on finite element method (FEM) simulation. Also, evaluation of focusing performance of three different focusing techniques was performed by comparing amplitude of phased array ultrasonic signals scattered from the targeted flaw with three different time delays.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.153-161
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• 2009

2002년 미국 Davis Besse 원전에서 원자로 압력용기의 상부헤드 관통관 부위의 손상이 발견되고, 2002년 벨기에 Tihange 2호기 및 2003년 일본 쓰루가 원전의 가압기 노즐에서 균열이 발견되어 세계적으로 니켈합금기기의 일차 수응력 부식균열(PWSCC; primary water stress corrosion cracking)이 원자력안전에 상당히 위협적임을 인식하게 되었다. 이에 따라 2005년부터 4년간 계획으로 미국 NRC를 중심으로 니켈합금기기의 검사에 관한 국제공동연구(PINC; program for the inspection of nickel alloy components, 이하 PINC라 함)를 시작하였고 본 논문에는 2005년부터 수행된 PINC 국제공동연구의 수행현황에 대해서 소개한다. PINC 국제공동연구의 목적은 일차 수응력 부식균열의 형상(morphology)을 규명하고, 일차 수응력 부식균열에 대한 비파괴검사기법을 평가하는 것이다. 이 목적을 위하여 한국에서는 한국원자력안전기술원(Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, KINS, 이하 KINS라 함)을 주축으로 한국원자력연구원, 성균관대, 원자력발전기술원, 한전KPS, (주)엔스코, (주)UMI, (주)세안, 두산중공업(주)이 참가하였고, PINC 수행 결과는 2009년 상반기에 NUREG 보고서로 발간될 예정이다. 이러한 국제공동연구를 수행함으로써 국내 기계재료분야의 결함 형성 및 분석기술이 선진국 수준임을 과시하고, 국내 비파괴검사 기술을 선진국 수준으로 끌어 올릴 수 있었으며, 이번 기회를 통하여 국내 산학연이 서로 협력하여 니켈합금기기의 건전성평가 기술을 한 단계 상승시킬 수 있었다.