• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.250-255
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• 2007

Steam generator tubes play an important role in safety because they constitute one of the primary barriers between the radioactive and non-radioactive sides of the nuclear power plant. For this reason, the integrity of the tubes is essential in minimizing the leakage possibility of radioactive water. The integrity of the tubes is evaluated based on NDE (non-destructive evaluation) inspection results. Especially ECT (eddy current test) method is usually used for detecting the flaws in steam generator tubes. However, detection capacity of the NDE is not perfect and all of the "real flaws" which actually existing in steam generator tunes is not known by NDE results. Therefore reliability of NDE system is one of the essential parts in assessing the integrity of steam generators. In this study POD (probability of detection) of ECT system for ODSCC in steam generator tubes is evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. The cracked tube specimens are made using the withdrawn steam generator tubes. Therefore the cracks are not artificial but real. Using the multivariate logistic regression method, continuous POD surfaces are evaluated from hit (detection) and miss (no detection) binary data obtained from destructive and non-destructive evaluation of the cracked tubes. Length and depth of cracks are considered in multivariate logistic regression and their effects on detection capacity are evaluated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.828-833
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• 2010

Steam leakage is one of the major issues for the structural fracture of pipes of nuclear power plants. Therefore a method to inspect a large area of piping systems quickly and accurately is needed. In this paper, we proposed the method for the detecting steam leakage by using image signal processing. Our basic idea come from heat shimmer which shine with a soft light that looks as if it shakes slightly. To test the performance of this technique, experiments have been performed for simple heat source and steam generator. Results show that the proposed technique is quite powerful in the steam leak detection.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.120-127
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• 1991

The purpose of this study is to develop a fault detection and diagnosis scheme that can monitor process fault and instrument fault of a steam generator. The suggested scheme consists of a Kalman filter and two bias estimators. Method of detecting process and instrument fault in a steam generator uses the mean test on the residual sequence of Kalman filter, designed for the unfailed system, to make a fault decision. Once a fault is detected, two bias estimators are driven to estimate the fault and to discriminate process fault and instrument fault. In case of process fault, the fault diagnosis of outlet temperature, feed-water heater and main steam control value is considered. In instrument fault, the fault diagnosis of steam genrator's three instruments is considered. Computer simulation tests show that on-line prompt fault detection and diagnosis can be performed very successfully.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 2009

A new eddy current testing probe was developed to separate the eddy current signal distortion caused by permeability variation clusters and ordinary defects created in steam generator tubes. Signal processing circuits were inserted into the probe to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and allow digital signal transmission. The new probe could measure and separate the magnetic phases created in the steam generator tubes in the operating environment of a nuclear power plant. Furthermore, the new eddy current testing probe can measure the defects in steam generator tubes as rapidly as a bobbin probe with enhanced testing speed and reliability of defect detection.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.191-197
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• 2006

This paper deals with a fault detection system design for nuclear steam generator water level control system. We expressed the nonlinear properties of the steam generator level system as a T-S fuzzy system with time varying uncertain parameters. We design a residual generator using a left coprime factorization of the T-S fuzzy model and a fault detection filter in order to improve the fault detection performance. We demonstrate the efficiency of the suggested design method via many computer simulations.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.869-874
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• 2014

It was discovered in a Korean PWR that an extensive number of very short and shallow cracks in the SG tubes were undetectable by eddy current in-service-inspection because of the masking effect of sludge deposits. Axial stress corrosion cracks at the outside diameter of the steam generator tubes near the line contacts with the tube support plates are the major concern among the six identical Korean nuclear power plants having CE-type steam generators with Alloy 600 high temperature mill annealed tubes, HU3&4 and HB3~6. The tubes in HB3&4 have a less susceptible microstructure so that the onset of ODSCC was substantially delayed compared to HU3&4 whose tubes are most susceptible to ODSCC among the six units. The numbers of cracks detected by the eddy current inspection jumped drastically after the steam generators of HB4 were chemically cleaned. The purpose of the chemical cleaning was to mitigate stress corrosion cracking by removing the heavy sludge deposit, since a corrosive environment is formed in the occluded region under the sludge deposit. SGCC also enhances the detection capability of the eddy current inspection at the same time. Measurement of the size of each crack using the motorized rotating pancake coil probe indicated that the cracks in HB4 were shorter and substantially shallower than the cracks in HU3&4. It is believed that the cracks were shorter and shallower because the microstructure of the tubes in HB4 is less susceptible to ODSCC. It was readily understood from the size distribution of the cracks and the quantitative information available on the probability of detection that most cracks in HB4 had been undetected until the steam generators were chemically cleaned.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.423-440
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• 2001

For sodium cooling liquid metal reactors during the last 25 years, it was most important to verify the safety of the steam generator, which absolutely requires a water leak detection system with fine sensitivity and response. This study describes the structure and leak classification of the HAMMER (Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor) steam generator, compared with other classifications, and explains the effects of leak development. The requirements and experimental situations for the development of the KALIMER acoustic leak detection system (KADS) which detects micro leaks, not intermediate leaks, are introduced. We proposed four frequency bands, 1∼8kHz, 8∼20kHz, 20∼40kHz and 40∼200kHz, split effectively for analyzing the detected acoustic leak signals obtained from the sodium-water reaction model or water model in the mock-up system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.145-155
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• 2001

This simulation first allows us to define a transition zone from a bubble to jet mode of the argon out-flow and hereinafter to define a similar area for water-steam leak in the KALIMER SG (Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor Steam Generator) using a water mock-up system, taking into account the KALIMER leak classification and tube bundle design, as a simulation of a real water-steam into sodium leak. in accordance with leak conditions in the KALIMER SG, the transition from bubbling to jetting is studied by means of turbulence regime simulation for argon out-flow through a very small orifice, which has the equivalent diameter of about 0.253 mm. finally the noise generation mechanism is explained from the existing experimental data. We also confirmed the possibility of micro-leak detection from the information of the bubbling mode through simulations and the experiment in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.307-313
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• 2015

Leak detection in a pipeline usually involves acoustic emission sensors such as contact type sensors. These contact type sensors pose difficulties for installation and cannot operate in areas having high temperature and radiation. Therefore, recently, many researchers have studied the leak detection phenomenon by using a camera. Leak detection by using a camera has the advantages of long distance monitoring and wide area surveillance. However, the conventional leak detection method by using difference images often mistakes the vibration of a structure for a leak. In this paper, we propose a method for steam leakage detection by using the moving average of difference images and histogram analysis. The proposed method can separate the leakage and the vibration of a structure. The working performance of the proposed method is verified by comparing with experimental results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.69-82
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• 2004

Recently, in the food, paper, steel and plastic industries, plate or sheet type products have been produced by the rolling drum. Steam heating drums are introduced into plastic products facilities in order to keep the density, microstructure, and strength of material uniformly. The drum journal can not help being concentrated by stresses due to the bending and torsion. Especially the drum, heated by high pressure steam, might be exposed in the steam leakage accident. First of all, the stresses on the steam drum journal are to be analyzed, and a case study proper to the subject was performed with a scraped journal, in order to investigate the failure characteristics as well as the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks, and most probable circumstances of crack initiation. As the result of this study, it is suggested that newly installed drum journal be thoroughly inspected at the next periodic maintenance intervals for evidence of cracking, the microstructure examination and hardness measurements to prevent steam drum from the failure accident.