• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.2638-2651
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• 2020

Nozzle corner cracks present at the intersection of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) and inlet or outlet nozzles have been a persistent problem for a number of years. The fracture analysis of such nozzle corner cracks is very important and critical for the efficient design and assessment of the structural integrity of RPVs. This paper aims to perform an engineering critical assessment of RPVs with nozzle corner cracks subjected to several transients accompanied by pressurized thermal shocks. The critical crack size of the RPV model with nozzle corner cracks under transient loading is evaluated on failure assessment curve. In particular, the influence of cladding on the crack initiation of nozzle corner crack under thermal transients is studied. The influence of primary internal pressure and secondary thermal stress on the stress field at nozzle corner and SIF at crack front is analyzed. Finally, the influence of different crack size and crack shape on the final critical crack size is analyzed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2292-2306
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• 2024

This study addresses cracks and fracture problems in engineering structures that may cause significant challenges and safety concerns, with a focus on pressure vessels in nuclear power plants. Comprehensive parametric three-dimensional mixed mode fracture analyses for inclined and deflected nozzle corner cracks with various crack shape aspect ratios and depth ratios in nuclear reactor pressure vessels are carried out. Stress intensity factor (SIF) solutions are obtained using FRAC3D, which is part of Fracture and Crack Propagation Analysis System (FCPAS), employing enriched finite elements along the crack front. Also, improved empirical equations are developed to allow the determination of mixed mode SIFs, K_I, K_II, and K_III, for any values of the parameters considered in the study. This study provides practical solutions to assess the remaining life and fail-safe conditions of nuclear reactors by providing accurate SIF determination.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1726-1746
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• 2022

This paper presents fracture mechanics analysis results for various cracks located at pressurized water reactor pressure vessel nozzle crotch corners taking into consideration constraint effect. Technical documents such as the ASME B&PV Code, Sec.XI were reviewed and then a fracture mechanics analysis procedure was proposed for structural integrity assessment of various nozzle crotch corner cracks under normal operation conditions considering the constraint effect. Linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis was performed by conducting finite element analysis with the proposed analysis procedure. Based on the evaluation results, elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analysis taking into account the constraint effect was performed only for the axial surface crack of the reactor pressure vessel outlet nozzle with cladding. The fracture mechanics analysis result shows that only the axial surface crack in the reactor pressure vessel outlet nozzle has the stress intensity factor exceeding the low bound of upper-shelf fracture toughness irrespectively of considering the constraint effect. It is confirmed that the J-integral for the axial crack of the outlet nozzle does not exceed the ductile crack initiation toughness. Hence, it can be ensured that the structural integrity of all the cracks is maintained during the normal operation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.34-41
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• 2010

This work is concerned with the analysis of stress corrosion cracking(SCC) behavior of Alloy 600 nozzle penetration mock-up according to a residual stress induced by a dissimilar metal welding(DMW) in a nuclear reactor pressure vessel. The effects of the dimension and materials of the nozzle penetration on the deformation and the residual stress induced by DMW were investigated using a finite element analysis(FEA). The inner diameter(ID) change of the nozzle by DMW and its dependance on the design variables, calculated by FEA, were well consistent with those measured from the mock-up. Accelerated SCC tests were performed for three mock-ups with different wall thicknesses in a highly acidic solution to investigate mainly the effect of the residual stress on the SCC behavior of Alloy 600 nozzle. From a destructive examination of the mock-up after the tests, the SCC behavior of the nozzle was fairly related with the residual stress induced by DMW : axial cracks were found in the ID surface of the nozzle within the J-weld region where the highest tensile hoop stress was predicted by FEA, while circumferential cracks were observed beyond both J-weld root and toe where the highest tensile axial stress was expected.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.48-54
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• 2018

To improve the durability of the turbocharger, it is important to suppress cracking of the turbine housing; therefore, we investigated the initiation and growth of these cracks. First, we initiated a crack in the turbine housing using endurance experiments. After the endurance test, cracks mainly occurred in the valve seat, the nozzle area, and the scroll part of the turbine housing. The results of a fracture analysis of the cracks showed that cracks in the valve seat were initiated by fatigue fracture. This seems to be caused by the accumulation of mechanical and thermal stresses due to vibration of the turbine wheel and high-temperature exhaust gas. Also, cracks in nozzle and scroll area were initiated by intergranular corrosion due to the exhaust gas. Thus, although there are differences in the cause of initiation according to the site, a concentric waveform was observed in all fracture planes. This phenomenon indicates that cracks gradually grow due to repeated stress changes, and the main causes are the temperature difference of the exhaust gas and the vibration caused by the turbine shaft.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.100-106
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• 2010

In this paper crack propagation analyses in the dissimilar metal weldment of a nozzle were performed using a finite element alternating method (FEAM). A two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element nozzle model was prepared and welding simulation including the thermal heat transfer analysis and the thermal stress analysis was performed. Initial cracks were inserted at weld and heat affected zone in the finite element model which has welding residual stress distribution obtained from the welding simulation. To calculate crack propagation trajectories of these cracks, a new fatigue crack evaluation module was developed in addition to the previous FEAM program. With the new FEAM fatigue crack evaluation module, crack propagation trajectory and crack growth time were calculated automatically and effectively.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.88-94
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• 2000

Recently various pressure vessels like an atomic reactor and plant facilities become more larger and are needed to bear in both very high temperature and pressure condition. And in making such a high pressure vessels the amount of annual usage of 2 $\frac {1}{4}$ Cr-1Mo steels which are predominant to resist high temperature high pressure and corrosive circumstances are increasing. But despite of this advantage of 2 $\frac {1}{4}$Cr-1Mo steel. when PWHT(post welding heat treatment) is carried out lots of reheating cracks are occur. In this reason it is strongly needed to study and examine the mechanical behavior of welded joints through welding to PWHT process. So in this study welded nozzle of pressure vessel where reheat cracks are frequently occur are selected for analysis the crack-occurrence mechanism.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.34-39
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• 2011

Nickel-based austenitic alloys such as Alloy 82 and 182 had been employed as the weld metals in nuclear power plants (NPPs) due to their high corrosion resistance as well as good mechanical properties. However, since the 2000s, the occurrence of primary water stress corrosion cracking has been reported in conjunction with these alloys in domestic and oversea NPPs. In the present work, we assumed an imaginary crack at the inner surface of a surge nozzle weld that had previously experienced the outside repair welding, and constructed its finite element model. Finite element analysis was performed with respect to the heat transfer, and then to the residual stress for obtaining the total applied stress distributions. These stress distributions were finally converted to the stress intensity factors for estimating crack growth rate. From the comparison of crack growth rate curves for the cases of no repair welding and outside repair welding, it was found that the outside repair welding did not exhibit negative effect on the crack growth for the surge nozzle under consideration in this work; in both cases, the cracks stopped growing before they became the through-wall cracks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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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.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.216-218
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• 2003

A fracture mechanics analysis methodology for stress corrosion cracks (SCCs) existing in the Alloy 600 nozzle weld joint for control rod drive mechanisms (CRDMs) of pressurized water reactor is studied. Effects of weld residual stresses on the sub-critical crack behavior during the reactor operation are investigated by a fracture mechanics analysis, which is combined with the finite element alternating method. It is found that effects f the residual stresses on the stress intensity factor (SIF) and crack growth rate (CGR) are dominant and values of SIF and CGR of cracks in the region of weld joint are increased by a factor of three or more on an average.