• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.770-777
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• 2016

It has been a challenge for researchers to accurately measure high temperature creep strain online without damaging the mechanical properties of the pipe surface. To this end, a noncontact method for measuring high temperature strain of a main steam pipe based on digital image correlation was proposed, and a system for monitoring of high temperature strain was designed and developed. Wavelet thresholding was used for denoising measurement data. The sub-pixel displacement search algorithm with curved surface fitting was improved to increase measurement accuracy. A field test was carried out to investigate the designed monitoring system of high temperature strain. The measuring error was less than $0.4ppm/^{\circ}C$, which meets actual measurement requirements for engineering. Our findings provide a new way to monitor creep damage of the main steam pipe of a boiler of an ultra-supercritical power plant in service.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 1998

Most fossil power plants and many critical components will be approaching the end of their nominal design life. At the same time, utilities are finding it economically attractive to extend the use of these plants for several more years, Especially Main steam pipe that operated under high temperature and pressure, often under the more severe operating conditions associated with cycling duty, is most important pipe system and critical component in fossil power plant. To extend the viability of older pipe system and to improve the operation and maintenance reliability, some technologies of precise diagnosis and life management have evolved out of the necessity. The purpose of this study is to descrive the related technologies and show the example of one power plants. The purpose of this study is to descrive the related technologies and show the example of one power plants. The stress analysis was done using ANSYS FEM Code. The branch area from main steam to turbine was the high stressed zone. To evaluate the degradation of the pipe material, replica, visual check, magnetic test, hardness test were done at the welding spot. The degradation level of welding point was E/F, so the remaining life of the welded area was about 0-25%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2017

When a sudden rupture occurs in high energy lines, ejection of inner fluid with high temperature and pressure causes blast wave as well as thrust forces on the ruptured pipe itself. The present study is to examine pipe whip behaviors and blast wave phenomena under postulated pipe break conditions. In this context, typical numerical models were generated by taking a MSL (Main Steam Line) piping, a steam generator and containment building. Subsequently, numerical analyses were carried out by changing break locations; one is pipe whip analyses to assess displacements and stresses of the broken pipe due to the thrust force. The other is blast wave analyses to evaluate the broken pipe due to the blast wave by considering the pipe whip. As a result, the stress value of the steam generator increased by about 7~21% and von Mises stress of steam generator outlet nozzle exceeded the yield strength of the material. In the displacement results, rapid movement of pipe occurred at 0.1 sec due to the blast wave, and the maximum displacement increased by about 2~9%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.40-47
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• 2011

KSNPs(Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant) have been applied the break exclusion criteria to the high energy lines passing through containment penetration area to ensure that piping failures would not cause the loss of containment isolation function, and to reduce the resulting dynamic effects. Systems with the criteria are the Main Steam system, Feed Water system, Steam Generator Blowdown system, and Chemical & Volume Control system. In accordance with FSAR(Final Safety Analysis Report), a 100% volumetric examination by augmented in-service inspection of all pipe welds appled the break exclusion criteria is required for the break exclusion application piping. However, it is difficult to fully satisfy the requirements of inspection because 12", 8" and 6" weldolet weldments of Main Steam pipe line have complex structural shapes. To resolve the difficulty on the application of conventional UT(Ultrasonic Testing) technique, realistic mock-ups and UT calibration blocks were made. Simulations of conventional UT were performed utilizing CIVA, a commercial NDE(Nondestructive Examination) simulation software. Phased array UT experiments were performed through mock-up including artificial notch type flaws. A phased array UT technique is finally developed to improve the reliability of ultrasonic test at main steam line pipe to 12", 8" and 6" branch connection weld.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.74-78
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• 2015

Nuclear power plant steam generator that is one of the main component has several thousands of thin tubes. And the steam generator tube is subject to damage because of the severe operation conditions such as the high temperature and pressure. Therefore periodic inspections are conducted to ensure the integrity of steam generator component. Hanul unit 3 also has been inspected in accordance with in-service inspection program and is scheduled to be replaced for exceeding the plugging rate which was recommended by manufacturer. During the steam generator replacement activity, we found several clustered porosity on inner surface of main feed water pipe. Additionally crack-like indications were found at weld interface between base material and weld of main feed water pipe. This paper describes the field experience and visual testing results for inner surface of main feed water pipes. The destructive test result had shown that these indications were porosities which were caused by manufacturing process not by operation service.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.1103-1108
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• 2012

A main steam pipe system is a branch pipe that connects a boiler with a turbine. Water hammering analysis is very important for limiting the damage caused to pipe systems by operation conditions. Water hammering created by an unsteady flow in pipeline systems can cause excessive change in pressure, vibration, and noise. The main steam pipe structure should be designed to safely maintain the pressure pulsation and several vibrations under operation environments. This study evaluated the structural integrity of a main steam pipe during suspended and normal operation by using the ASME fatigue life methodology and finite element analysis. In the analysis, water hammering was used for transient analysis. The calculated alternating stress and fatigue stress were compared with the applicable limits of ASME fatigue life. All the evaluation results satisfied the requirements of the ASME fatigue life.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.87-93
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• 2015

In this study, a numerical analysis was performed to simulate the thermal-hydraulic response of the secondary side of a steam generator(SG) model equipped with an orifice-type SG outlet flow restrictor to a main steam line break(MSLB) at a pressurized water reactor(PWR) plant. The SG analysis model includes the SG upper steam space and the part of the main steam pipe between the SG outlet and the broken pipe end. By comparing the numerical calculation results for the present SG model to those obtained for a simple SG model having no flow restrictor, the effects of the flow restrictor on the thermal-hydraulic response of SG to the MSLB were investigated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.15 no.8 s.101
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• pp.988-995
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• 2005

Vibration has been severly increased at the branch pipe of main steam header since the commercial operation of nuclear power plant. Intense broad band disturbance flow at the discontinuous region such as elbow, valve, and header generates the acoustical pulsation which is propagated through the piping system. The pulsation becomes the source of low frequency vibration at piping system. If it coincide with natural frequency of the pipe system, excessive vibration is made. High level vibration due to the pressure pulsation related to high dynamic stress, and ultimately, to failure probability affects fatally the reliability and confidence of plant piping system. This paper discusses vibration effect for the branch pipe system due to acoustical pulsations by broad band disturbance flow at the large main steam header in 700 MW nuclear power plant. The exciting sources and response of the piping system are investigated by using on-site measurements and analytical approaches. It is identified that excessive vibration is caused by acoustical pulsations of 1.3 Hz, 4.4 Hz and 6.6 Hz transmitted from main steam balance header, which are coincided with fundamental natural frequencies of the piping structure. The energy absorbing restraints with additional stiffness and damping factor were installed to reduce excessive vibration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.780-785
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• 2005

Vibration has been severly increased at the branch pipe of main steam header since the commercial operation of a nuclear power plant. Intense broad band disturbance flow at the discontinuous region such as elbow, valve or heather generates the acoustical pulsation which is propagated through the piping system. The pulsation becomes the source of low frequency vibration at piping system. If it coincide with natural frequency of the pipe system, excessive vibration is made. High level vibration due to the pressure pulsation related to high dynamic stress, and ultimately, to failure probability affects fatally the reliability and confidence of plant piping system. This paper discusses vibration effect for the branch pipe system due to acoustical pulsations by broad band disturbance flow at the large main steam header in 7nn nuclear power plant. The exciting sources and response or the piping system are investigated by using on site measurements and analytical approaches. It is identified that excessive vibration is caused by acoustical pulsations of 1.3Hz, 4.4Hz and 6.6Hz transferred from main steam header, which are coincided with fundamental natural frequencies of the piping structure. The energy absorbing restraints with additional stiffness were installed to reduce excessive vibration.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.70-77
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• 2013

The present study has been carried out to analyze the effect of steam hammering on the steam piping system including the final superheater, the high pressure turbine, check valve and the first reheater by sudden stoping of main stop valve in a power plant. For the present steam hammering analysis, the well known Flowmaster software has been used to model the steam piping system and the time dependent characteristics of pressure and steam mass flow rate has been conducted. Using the result of the unsteady pressure and steam mass flow rate, the forces acting on the elbows in the piping system has been derived. From the present analysis, it has been elucidated that the elbow just before the main stop valve and the elbow near the connection pipe between bypass pipe and check valve had the largest force among the elbows in the steam piping system. The structural safety diagnostics study on the elbow and the supporting structures of the steam piping system of a power plant will be conducted in the future by the present results of the forces acting on the elbow.