• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics S
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• v.35S no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 1998

In this paper, we propose a tube-hole center detection vision algorithm verifying the position of a tele-controlled robot and providing visual information for increasing reliability and efficiency in the diagnosis of steam generator (SG) tubes in nuclear power plant. A tele-controlled robot plays a role in carrying the probe used in inspecting the integrity of SG tubes. Thus accurately locating a tele-controlled robot on the desired tube-hole center is important issue for reliability of inspection. To do this work, we have to find the tube-hole center locations from the input image. At first, we apply the three-class segmentation method modified for this application. WE extract minimum bounding rectangles (MBRs) in the theresholded binary image. Second, for discriminating between MBR by tube and MBR by noise, we introduce the MBR rejection rules as knowledge-based rule set. MBRs are divided into the very dark region MBRs and the very bright region MBRs. In order to describe the region of complete tube-hole, the MBRs need a process of pairing each other. We then can find the tube-hole center from the paired MBR. For more accurately finding the tube-hole center in several sequential images, the centers of some frames need to be averaged. We tested the performance of our method using hundreds of real images.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.585-586
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• 2006

Several chemicals were studied to suppress the damage due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of steam generator (SG) tubes in nuclear power plants. The effects on the SCC of the compounds, $TiO_2$, TyzorLA and $CeB_6$, were tested for several types of SG tubing materials. The test with the addition of $TiO_2$ and $CeB_6$ showed an effect in decreasing the SCC for the SG tubing material. However, $CeB_6$ caused some more SCC for Alloy 800. The penetration property into a crevice of the inhibitors was investigated by using Alloy 600 specimens with different gap.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.163-169
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• 2019

The robust controller synthesis and analysis of the water level process in the U-tube system generator (UTSG) is addressed in this paper. The parameter uncertainties of the steam generator (SG) are modeled as multiplicative perturbations which are normalized by designing suitable weighting functions. The relative errors of the nominal SG model with respect to the other operating power level models are employed to specify the weighting functions for normalizing the plant uncertainties. Then, a robust controller is designed based on ${\mu}$-synthesis and D-K iteration, and its stability robustness is verified over the whole range of power operations. A gain-scheduled controller with $H_{\infty}$-synthesis is also designed to compare its robustness with the proposed controller. The stability analysis is accomplished and compared with the previous QFT design. The ${\mu}$-analysis of the system shows that the proposed controller has a favorable stability robustness for the whole range of operating power conditions. The proposed controller response is simulated against the power level deviation in start-up and shutdown stages and compared with the other concerning controllers.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.15 no.9 s.102
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• pp.1009-1015
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• 2005

Fluid-elastic instability and turbulence excitation for an under developing steam generator are investigated numerically. The stability ratio and the amplitude of turbulence excitation are obtained by using the $PIAT^{(R)}$ (program for integrity assessment of steam generator tube) code from the information on the thermal-hydraulic data of the steam generator. The aspect ratio, the ratio between the height of U-tube from the upper most tube support Plate (h) and the width of two vertical portion of U-tube (w), is defined for geometric parameter study. Several aspect ratios with relocation of tube support plates are adopted to study the effects on the mode shapes and characteristics of flow-induced vibration. When the aspect ratio exceeds value of 1, most of the mode shapes at low frequency are generated at the top of U-tube. It makes very high value of the stability ratio and the amplitude of turbulent excitation as well. We can consider that the local mode shape at the upper side of U-tube will develop the wear phenomena between the tube and the anti-nitration bars such as vortical, horizontal, and diagonal strips. It turns out that the aspect ratio reveals very important parameter for the design stage of the steam generator. The appropriate value of the aspect ratio should be specified and applied.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.889-896
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• 2020

The vertically inverted U-tube steam generator (UTSG) is widely used in the pressurized water reactor (PWR). The reverse flow behavior generally exists in some U-tubes of a steam generator (SG) under both single- and two-phase natural circulations (NCs). The behavior increases the flow resistance in the primary loop and reduces the heat transfer in the SG. As a consequence, the NC ability as well as the inherent safety of nuclear reactors is faced with severe challenges. The theoretical models for calculating single- and two-phase flow pressure drops in U-tubes are developed and validated in this paper. The two-phase reverse flow characteristics in two types of SGs are investigated base on the theoretical models, and the effects of the U-tube height, bending radius, inlet steam quality and primary side pressure on the behavior are analyzed. The conclusions may provide some promising references for SG optimization to reduce the disadvantageous behavior. It is also of significance to improve the NC ability and ensure the PWR safety during some accidents.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2009

In this paper, we study the classification of steam generator tube defects using an improved feature extraction. We consider 4 axisymmetric defect patterns of tube: I-In type, I-Out type, V-In type, and V-Out type. Through numerical analysis program based on finite element modeling, 400 ECT signals are generated by varying width and depth of each defect type. From those generated ECT signals, we propose new feature vectors that include an angle between the two points where the Maximum impedance and half the Maximum impedance, and angles between Maximum impedance point and 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% of Maximum impedance points. Also, multi-layer perceptron with one hidden layer is used to classify the defect patterns. Through the computer simulation study, it is shown that the proposed method achieves an improved defect classification performance in terms of Maximum Error and mean square Error.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2009

In this paper, the signal analysis of eddy current array probe was performed to analyze the electromagnetic characteristics with the variation of FBH(flat bottomed hole) defects size on steam generator tube in NPP(nuclear power plants) using the electromagnetic finite element method. To obtain the electromagnetic characteristic of probes, the governing equation was derived from Maxwell's equations, and the individual problem was analyzed by using the 3-dimensional finite element method. For the simulation FBH defects were used. The depth of FBH defects were 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of steam generator(SG) tube thickness, and it was assumed that the defects were located on the tube outside. And the operation frequencies of 100 kHz, 300 kHz and 400 kHz were used. Material of specimen was Inconel 600 which is usually used for SG tubes in NPP. The signal difference could be observed according to the size variation of depth of FBH defects and operation frequencies. The results in this paper can be helpful when the ECT(eddy current testing) signals from EC array probe are evaluated and analyzed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.1315-1322
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• 2009

The present article is concerned with the application of an electrochemical noise (EN) monitoring technique to analyze the initiation and propagation of Pb-assisted stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of an Alloy 600 material in a simulated environment of a steam generator (SG) sludge pile at high temperatures. A typical increase of electrochemical current noise (ECN) and electrochemical potential noise (EPN) was frequently recorded from the EN measurement in a caustic solution with such impurities as PbO and CuO, indicating that there are localized corrosion events occurring. With the aid of microscopic and spectral analyses, the EN data involving information on such stochastic processes as uniform corrosion and the initiation and propagation of SCC, were analyzed based on a stochastic theory.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.115-121
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• 2001

The wear test has been performed to evaluate the wear mechanism of steam generator (SG) tube materials against ferritic stainless steel in water environment. The wear rates of SG tube materials depend on the change of mechanical properties between contact surfaces during wear test. From the subsurface hardness test, Inconel 690 is more work-hardened than Inconel 600 even though these materials have similar hardness values before the wear test. Main cause is due to the difference of stacking fault energy with the chromium content. In water environment, wear mechanism is closely related with the continuous formation and fracture of deformation layers at the contact surfaces.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.870-880
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• 2016

A steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) event with a stuck-open safety relief valve constitutes one of the most serious accident sequences in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) because it may create an open path for radioactive aerosol release into the environment. The release may be mitigated by the deposition of fission product particles on a steam generator's (SG's) dry tubes and structures or by scrubbing in the secondary coolant. However, the absence of empirical data, the complexity of the geometry, and the controlling processes have, until recently, made any quantification of retention difficult to justify. As a result, past risk assessment studies typically took little or no credit for aerosol retention in SGTR sequences. To provide these missing data, the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) initiated the Aerosol Trapping In Steam GeneraTor (ARTIST) Project, which aimed to thoroughly investigate various aspects of aerosol removal in the secondary side of a breached steam generator. Between 2003 and 2011, the PSI has led the ARTIST Project, which involved intense collaboration between nearly 20 international partners. This summary paper presents key findings of experimental and analytical work conducted at the PSI within the ARTIST program.