scholarly journals Guest Editorial: Recent Advances in Design and Structural Integrity of Pressure Vessels, Piping and Components

Author(s):  
Nam-Su Huh ◽  
Yun-Jae Kim ◽  
Naoya Tada

Abstract The design and structural integrity evaluation of pressure retaining equipment are crucial elements in the nuclear, oil and gas industries. Accordingly, many research has been done to improve the accuracy of design and structural integrity assessment methodologies and to develop new techniques and procedures. In this special issue, it is intended to introduce the latest research results on these subjects. The papers in this issue were collected from two groups.

Author(s):  
Dominique Moinereau ◽  
Jean-Michel Frund ◽  
Henriette Churier-Bossennec ◽  
Georges Bezdikian ◽  
Alain Martin

A significant extensive Research & Development work is conducted by Electricite´ de France (EDF) related to the structural integrity re-assessment of the French 900 and 1300 MWe reactor pressure vessels in order to increase their lifetime. Within the framework of this programme, numerous developments have been implemented or are in progress related to the methodology to assess flaws during a pressurized thermal shock (PTS) event. The paper contains three aspects: a short description of the specific French approach for RPV PTS assessment, a presentation of recent improvements on thermalhydraulic, materials and mechanical aspects, and finally an overview of the present R&D programme on thermalhydraulic, materials and mechanical aspects. Regarding the last aspect on present R&D programme, several projects in progress will be shortly described. This overview includes the redefinition of some significant thermalhydraulic transients based on some new three-dimensional CFD computations (focused at the present time on small break LOCA transient), the assessment of vessel materials properties, and the improvement of the RPV PTS structural integrity assessment including several themes such as warm pre-stress (WPS), crack arrest, constraint effect ....


2013 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Masaki ◽  
Jinya Katsuyama ◽  
Kunio Onizawa

To apply a probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) analysis to the structural integrity assessment of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV), a PFM analysis code has been developed at JAEA. Using this PFM analysis code, pascal version 3, the conditional probabilities of crack initiation (CPIs) and fracture for an RPV during pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events have been analyzed. Sensitivity analyses on certain input parameters were performed to clarify their effect on the conditional fracture probability. Comparisons between the conditional probabilities and the temperature margin (ΔTm) based on the current deterministic analysis method were made for various model plant conditions for typical domestic older types of RPVs. From the analyses, a good correlation between ΔTm and the conditional probability of crack initiation was obtained.


2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Seshadri

Local hot spots can occur in some pressure vessels and piping systems used in industrial processes. The hot spots could be a result of, for instance, localized loss of refractory lining on the inside of pressure components or due to a maldistribution of process flow within vessels containing catalysts. The consequences of these hot spots on the structural integrity of pressure components are of considerable importance to plant operators. The paper addresses structural integrity issues in the context of codes and standards design framework. Interaction of hot spots, as is the case when multiple hot spots occur, is addressed. An assessment method, suitable for further development of a Level 2 “Fitness-for-Service” methodology, is discussed and applied to a commonly used pressure component configuration.


Author(s):  
Jae Sung Lee ◽  
Myung Hyun Kim

Abstract Pipelines are effective means to transport oil and gas. It is essential to maintain the safety of pipelines with the increasing demand for oil and gas resource. Welded pipelines may suffer damage such as cracks during installation and operation, and the consequence evaluation for such damage is very important. Engineering critical assessment (ECA) is the evaluation procedure for structures with flaws and has been widely applied for assessing the pipeline integrity. Although main standards of structural integrity assessment including BS 7910 are stress-based ECA, it is known to produce overly conservative results. In this regard, strain-based ECA has been recently developed. One of the methods for improving the accuracy of strain-based ECA is the reference strain method. However, only few researches with reference strain method applied to welded pipes are available. Therefore, in this study, a numerical analysis based on the strain-based ECA is performed for strength mismatched girth welded joints with a circumferentially oriented internal surface crack. Equivalent stress-strain curve in BS7910 is employed to reflect the strength mismatch effects in the reference strain. This paper compares the results from the reference strain method and finite element analysis: J-integral and reference strain. Strain capacity of the reference strain method with strength mismatch is also discussed against stress-based ECA.


Author(s):  
Shengjun Yin ◽  
Paul T. Williams ◽  
B. Richard Bass

This paper describes numerical analyses performed to simulate warm pre-stress (WPS) experiments conducted with large-scale cruciform specimens within the Network for Evaluation of Structural Components (NESC-VII) project. NESC-VII is a European cooperative action in support of WPS application in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) integrity assessment. The project aims in evaluation of the influence of WPS when assessing the structural integrity of RPVs. Advanced fracture mechanics models will be developed and performed to validate experiments concerning the effect of different WPS scenarios on RPV components. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA contributes to the Work Package-2 (Analyses of WPS experiments) within the NESC-VII network. A series of WPS type experiments on large-scale cruciform specimens have been conducted at CEA Saclay, France, within the framework of NESC VII project. This paper first describes NESC-VII feasibility test analyses conducted at ORNL. Very good agreement was achieved between AREVA NP SAS and ORNL. Further analyses were conducted to evaluate the NESC-VII WPS tests conducted under Load-Cool-Transient-Fracture (LCTF) and Load-Cool-Fracture (LCF) conditions. This objective of this work is to provide a definitive quantification of WPS effects when assessing the structural integrity of reactor pressure vessels. This information will be utilized to further validate, refine, and improve the WPS models that are being used in probabilistic fracture mechanics computer codes now in use by the NRC staff in their effort to develop risk-informed updates to Title 10 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 50, Appendix G.


Author(s):  
Kazuya Osakabe ◽  
Koichi Masaki ◽  
Jinya Katsuyama ◽  
Genshichiro Katsumata ◽  
Kunio Onizawa

To assess the structural integrity of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) during pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events, the deterministic fracture mechanics approach prescribed in Japanese code JEAC 4206-2007 [1] has been used in Japan. The structural integrity is judged to be maintained if the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip during PTS events is smaller than fracture toughness KIc. On the other hand, the application of a probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) analysis method for the structural reliability assessment of pressure components has become attractive recently because uncertainties related to influence parameters can be incorporated rationally. A probabilistic approach has already been adopted as the regulation on fracture toughness requirements against PTS events in the U.S. According to the PFM analysis method in the U.S., through-wall cracking frequencies (TWCFs) are estimated taking frequencies of event occurrence and crack arrest after crack initiation into consideration. In this study, in order to identify the conservatism in the current RPV integrity assessment procedure in the code, probabilistic analyses on TWCF have been performed for certain model of RPVs. The result shows that the current assumption in JEAC 4206-2007, that a semi-elliptic axial crack is postulated on the inside surface of RPV wall, is conservative as compared with realistic conditions. Effects of variation of PTS transients on crack initiation frequency and TWCF have been also discussed.


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