• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.40-45
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• 1993

The steam generator tubes of the nuclear power plant should be inspected using eddy current techniques. Recently the crack-like defects become a major concern for the integrity of the steam generator tubes. These defects could be detected by the MRPC(Motorized Rotating Pancake Coil) method, not by the conventional bobbin coil method. In this paper it has been attempted to estimate the length of the cracks at the tube expansion region using of MRPC technique. The lengths of both axial and circumferential cracks show a tendency of overestimation compared to the real lengths. As the depths of the defects decrease from 100% through 50% of the wall thickness, the error of the length estimation is increased.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.374-382
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• 2009

원자력발전소의 1차측 및 2차측 냉각계의 장벽 역할을 하는 핵심 설비중 하나인 증기발생기(steam generator, SG) 전열관은 공공의 사회적 안전성과 효율적인 발전 용량을 유지하기 위해 구조적 건전성을 유지하여야 한다. 또한 결함을 함유하고 있는 전열관은 해당결함을 조기에 검출, 정량적으로 결함을 평가하여 필요한 경우에는 보수조치를 수행하여야 한다. 이러한 결함의 검출 및 정량화를 위해서 검사관련 고시 및 강화된 SG 관리프로그램(SGMP)에 근거하여 와전류탐상검사법(eddy current testing, ECT)을 적용, 검사를 수행하고 있다. SG 전열관에서 검출되고 있는 결함중 응력부식균열(stress corrosion cracking, SCC)은 미세한 경우 결함의 검출이 어려울 뿐 아니라 생성된 결함의 성장속도가 빠르기 때문에 SG 전열관의 건전성을 위협하는 주요결함 기구중 하나로 분류하고 있다. 본 논문에서는 다양한 결함 깊이 및 길이별로 방전가공(electric discharge machining, EDM)된 축방향 ODSCC에 대해 pancake, +point 및 shielded pancake 코일 등이 탑재된 3 coil형태의 +PT MRPC(motorized rotating pancake coils)를 적용하여 결함의 검출가능 여부 및 크기 측정을 위한 검사를 수행하였으며 본 실험결과를 통해 SG 전열관의 건전성 및 원전 운전의 안전성을 진단하는 공학적 평가 자료로써의 활용 가능성 뿐 아니라 와전류탐상검사의 신뢰도 향상을 도모하고자 하였다.

• 한국압력기기공학회 논문집
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.34-39
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• 2008

Steam Generator(SG) tubes are classified as one of the key components in nuclear power plants, and they should be periodically examined by the intensified management program for the assurance and diagnosis of their structural integrity. In this study, we use the optimum analysis technique to draw the detection and categorization of bowing(BOW) signals; abnormal tube-to-tube proximity in the SG upper bundle free span area. The locations in which BOW signals are detected likely have latent degradation of ODSCC(Outer Diameter Stress Corrosion Cracking). For the sake of timely and correct detection of BOW signals and diagnosis of ODSCC, we carried out the experimental demonstrations using a reduced mock-up. And we validated the MRPC(Motorized Rotating Pancake Coil) analysis technique is better than the bobbin. Hence, it comes to conclusion that the optimum analysis technique can be a good alternative for the reliable SG tube examination.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권7호
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• pp.1784-1790
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• 2019

Accurate and consistent characterization of defects in steam generator tubes (SGT) in nuclear power plants is one of the key issues in the field of nondestructive testing since the large number of signals to be analyzed in a time-limited in-service inspection causes a serious problem in practice. This paper presents an effective approach to this difficult task of automated classification of motorized rotating pancake coil (MRPC) eddy current flaw acquired from tube specimens with deliberated defects using deep neural networks (DNN). This approach consists of five steps, namely, the data acquisition using the MRPC probe in the tube, the signal preprocessing to make data more suitable for training DNN, the data augmentation for boosting a training performance, the training of DNN, and finally demonstration of the trained DNN for discriminating the axial and circumferential defects. The high performance obtained in this study shows that DNN is useful for classification of defects in tubes from the MRPC eddy current signals even though the number of signals is very large.

• 한국압력기기공학회 논문집
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.61-66
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• 2011

The integrity of the SG(Steam Generator) tubes has been challenged by numerous factors such as flaws, operation, atmosphere, inherently degraded materials, loose parts and even human errors. Of the factors, loose parts(or foreign materials) on the secondary side of the tubes can bring about volumetric defects and even leakage from the primary to the secondary side in a short period of time. More serious concerns about the loose parts are their unknown influx path and rapid growth rate of the defects affected by the loose parts. Therefore it is imperative to detect and characterize the foreign materials and the defects. As a part of the measures for loose part detection, TTS(Top of Tubesheet) MRPC(Motorized Rotating Pancake Coils) ECT has been carried out especially to the restricted high probability area of the loose part. However, in the presence of loose parts in the other areas, wide range loose part detection techniques are required. In this study, loose part standard tube was presented as a way to accurately detect and characterize loose part signals. And the SG tube ECT bobbin coil and MRPC ISI(In-service Inspection) data of domestic OPR-1000 and Westinghouse Model F(W_F) were reviewed and consequently, comprehensive loose part detection technique is derived especially by applying bobbin coil signals

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제46권6호
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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.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.90-98
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• 2006

원전 증기 발생기 세관의 MRPC probe 신호를 검사하고 평가하기 위해서는 일반적으로 Combo 표준 보정 시험편 신호가 신호 보정을 위해 사용된다 이렇듯 Combo 표준 보정 시험편 신호는 신호 평가에 중요한 영향을 미치지만, probe 상태나 관 주위의 여러 요소에 의해 쉽게 영향을 받기 때문에 결함 평가 요소인 신호의 크기 값과 위상각을 왜곡시킬 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구는 이런 문제점을 극복하기 위해 Combo 표준 보정 시험편의 실제 신호를 모사 신호로 대체하는 가능성을 알아보기 위해 실험을 해 보았다 이를 위해 MRPC probe와 Combo 표준 보정 시험편의 특성을 조사하였으며 계산 수행을 위해 체적 적분 방법으로 계산되는 상용 전자기 해석 프로그램인 VIC-3D를 사용하였고 모사 신호를 생성한 후 실험 신호와 비교를 통해 신호의 정확성을 확인하였다. 마지막으로, 모사 신호를 이용한 결함 평가를 위하여 실제 결함과 가공 결함에 대해 위상각과 크기 값의 항목으로 평가하여 실제 결함 평가자에 의한 결과와 비교하였다.