Finite Element Simulation of Dynamic Behavior of Pressurized Piping System Under Large Seismic Load

Author(s):  
A. Ravi Kiran ◽  
M. K. Agrawal ◽  
G. R. Reddy ◽  
A. K. Ghosh ◽  
H. S. Kushwaha

The nuclear power plant piping systems are often subjected to the cyclic loading conditions due to transients, seismic or other unexpected events. During these events, the probable mode of failure for piping component is fatigue-ratcheting. Earlier the design of piping subjected to seismic excitation was based on the principle of static collapse. Later on, it was postulated that the cause of failure of piping components is fatigue ratcheting and not plastic collapse. The 1995 ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel code, Section-III, has incorporated the reverse dynamic loading and ratcheting into the code. An Analytical study is carried out to investigate the behavior of the pressurized piping system under large seismic loading. The analysis is performed using equivalent inertial forces. Chaboche nonlinear kinematic hardening model is used for ratcheting simulation. The capability of the model to simulate the ratcheting response of the piping system is of particular interest. Comparison of analysis results against test results are presented in the paper.

Author(s):  
Yukio Takahashi ◽  
Yoshihiko Tanaka

It is essential to predict the behavior of nuclear piping system under seismic loading to evaluate the structural integrity of nuclear power plants. Relatively large stress cycles may be applied to the piping systems under severe seismic loading and plastic deformation may occur cyclically in some portion of the systems. Accurate description of inelastic deformation under cyclic loading is indispensable for the precise estimation of strain cycles and accumulation potentially leading to the failure due to fatigue-ratcheting interaction. Elastic-plastic constitutive models based on the nonlinear kinematic hardening rule proposed by Ohno and Wang were developed for type 316 austenitic stainless steel and carbon steel JIS STPT410 (similar to ASTM A106 Gr.B), both of which are used in piping systems in nuclear power plants. Different deformation characteristics under cyclic loading in terms of memory of prior hardening were observed on these two materials and they were reflected in the modeling. Results of simulations under various loading conditions were compared with the test data to demonstrate the high capability of the constitutive models.


Author(s):  
Victor Kostarev ◽  
Ichiro Tamura ◽  
Masashi Kuramasu ◽  
Frank Barutzki ◽  
Petr Vasilev ◽  
...  

In Shimane Nuclear Power Plant of the Chugoku Electric Power Co. located in the West Japan area, a number of safety improvements are planned to be implemented aiming at achieving the highest world level in nuclear safety. One of the new safety approaches for seismic protection of NPPs is the application of viscoelastic dampers for safety related piping, systems and components. This technology is widely spread in nuclear power since 80s of the last century, [1 and 2]. In order to investigate and check the actual behavior of viscoelastic dampers installed at piping systems and subjected to severe earthquake motions, a shaking table test with full-scale piping and viscoelastic dampers was carried out. The shaking table test was performed for two general conditions. One is without aseismic devices and the other one is with viscoelastic dampers. It was confirmed by comparing the test results of the above mentioned two conditions that viscoelastic dampers provide to piping systems very high overall damping and protect piping systems even against large earthquakes.


Author(s):  
Lingfu Zeng ◽  
Lennart G. Jansson

A nuclear piping system which is found to be disqualified, i.e. overstressed, in design evaluation in accordance with ASME III, can still be qualified if further non-linear design requirements can be satisfied in refined non-linear analyses in which material plasticity and other non-linear conditions are taken into account. This paper attempts first to categorize the design verification according to ASME III into the linear design and non-linear design verifications. Thereafter, the corresponding design requirements, in particular, those non-linear design requirements, are reviewed and examined in detail. The emphasis is placed on our view on several formulations and design requirements in ASME III when applied to nuclear power piping systems that are currently under intensive study in Sweden.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Izumi Nakamura ◽  
Akihito Otani ◽  
Masaki Shiratori

Pressurized piping systems used for an extended period may develop degradations such as wall thinning or cracks due to aging. It is important to estimate the effects of degradation on the dynamic behavior and to ascertain the failure modes and remaining strength of the piping systems with degradation through experiments and analyses to ensure the seismic safety of degraded piping systems under destructive seismic events. In order to investigate the influence of degradation on the dynamic behavior and failure modes of piping systems with local wall thinning, shake table tests using 3D piping system models were conducted. About 50% full circumferential wall thinning at elbows was considered in the test. Three types of models were used in the shake table tests. The difference of the models was the applied bending direction to the thinned-wall elbow. The bending direction considered in the tests was either of the in-plane bending, out-of-plane bending, or mixed bending of the in-plane and out-of-plane. These models were excited under the same input acceleration until failure occurred. Through these tests, the vibration characteristic and failure modes of the piping models with wall thinning under seismic load were obtained. The test results showed that the out-of-plane bending is not significant for a sound elbow, but should be considered for a thinned-wall elbow, because the life of the piping models with wall thinning subjected to out-of-plane bending may reduce significantly.


Author(s):  
Bruce A. Young ◽  
Sang-Min Lee ◽  
Paul M. Scott

As a means of demonstrating compliance with the United States Code of Federal Regulations 10CFR50 Appendix A, General Design Criterion 4 (GDC-4) requirement that primary piping systems for nuclear power plants exhibit an extremely low probability of rupture, probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) software has become increasingly popular. One of these PFM codes for nuclear piping is Pro-LOCA which has been under development over the last decade. Currently, Pro-LOCA is being enhanced under an international cooperative program entitled PARTRIDGE-II (Probabilistic Analysis as a Regulatory Tool for Risk-Informed Decision GuidancE - Phase II). This paper focuses on the use of a pre-defined set of base-case inputs along with prescribed variation in some of those inputs to determine a comparative set of sensitivity analyses results. The benchmarking case was a circumferential Primary Water Stress Corrosion Crack (PWSCC) in a typical PWR primary piping system. The effects of normal operating loads, temperature, leak detection, inspection frequency and quality, and mitigation strategies on the rupture probability were studied. The results of this study will be compared to the results of other PFM codes using the same base-case and variations in inputs. This study was conducted using Pro-LOCA version 4.1.9.


Author(s):  
Se´bastien Caillaud ◽  
Rene´-Jean Gibert ◽  
Pierre Moussou ◽  
Joe¨l Cohen ◽  
Fabien Millet

A piping system of French nuclear power plants displays large amplitude vibrations in particular flow regimes. These troubles are attributed to cavitation generated by single-hole orifices in depressurized flow regimes. Real scale experiments on high pressure test rigs and on-site tests are then conducted to explain the observed phenomenon and to find a solution to reduce pipe vibrations. The first objective of the present paper is to analyze cavitation-induced vibrations in the single-hole orifice. It is then shown that the orifice operates in choked flow with supercavitation, which is characterized by a large unstable vapor pocket. One way to reduce pipe vibrations consists in suppressing the orifices and in modifying the control valves. Three technologies involving a standard trim and anti-cavitation trims are tested. The second objective of the paper is to analyze cavitation-induced vibrations in globe-style valves. Cavitating valves operate in choked flow as the orifice. Nevertheless, no vapor pocket appears inside the pipe and no unstable phenomenon is observed. The comparison with an anti-cavitation solution shows that cavitation reduction has no impact on low frequency excitation. The effect of cavitation reduction on pipe vibrations, which involve essentially low frequencies, is then limited and the first solution, which is the standard globe-style valve installed on-site, leads to acceptable pipe vibrations. Finally, this case study may have consequences on the design of piping systems. First, cavitation in orifices must be limited. Choked flow in orifices may lead to supercavitation, which is here a damaging and unstable phenomenon. The second conclusion is that the reduction of cavitation in globe-style valve in choked flow does not reduce pipe vibrations. The issue is then to limit cavitation erosion of valve trims.


Author(s):  
Koichi Tai ◽  
Keisuke Sasajima ◽  
Shunsuke Fukushima ◽  
Noriyuki Takamura ◽  
Shigenobu Onishi

This paper provides a part of series of “Development of an Evaluation Method for Seismic Isolation Systems of Nuclear Power Facilities”. Paper is focused on the seismic evaluation method of the multiply supported systems, as the one of the design methodology adopted in the equipment and piping system of the seismic isolated nuclear power plant in Japan. Many of the piping systems are multiply supported over different floor levels in the reactor building, and some of the piping systems are carried over to the adjacent building. Although Independent Support Motion (ISM) method has been widely applied in such a multiply supported seismic design of nuclear power plant, it is noted that the shortcoming of ignoring correlations between each excitations is frequently misleaded to the over-estimated design. Application of Cross-oscillator, Cross-Floor response Spectrum (CCFS) method, proposed by A. Asfura and A. D. Kiureghian[1] shall be considered to be the excellent solution to the problems as mentioned above. So, we have introduced the algorithm of CCFS method to the FEM program. The seismic responses of the benchmark model of multiply supported piping system are evaluated under various combination methods of ISM and CCFS, comparing to the exact solutions of Time History analysis method. As the result, it is demonstrated that the CCFS method shows excellent agreement to the responses of Time History analysis, and the CCFS method shall be one of the effective and practical design method of multiply supported systems.


Author(s):  
Satoshi Tsunoi ◽  
Akira Mikami ◽  
Izumi Nakamura ◽  
Akihito Otani ◽  
Masaki Shiratori

The authors have proposed an analytical model by which they can simulate the dynamic and failure behaviors of piping systems with local wall thinning against seismic loadings. In the previous paper [13], the authors have carried out a series of experimental investigations about dynamic and failure behaviors of the piping system with fully circumferential 50% wall thinning at an elbow or two elbows. In this paper these experiments have been simulated by using the above proposed analytical model and investigated to what extent they can catch the experimental behaviors by simulations.


Author(s):  
Kenichi Suzuki ◽  
Y. Namita ◽  
H. Abe ◽  
I. Ichihashi ◽  
Kohei Suzuki ◽  
...  

In 1998FY, the 6 year program of piping tests was initiated with the following objectives: i) to clarify the elasto-plastic response and ultimate strength of nuclear piping, ii) to ascertain the seismic safety margin of the current seismic design code for piping, and iii) to assess new allowable stress rules. In order to resolve extensive technical issues before proceeding on to the seismic proving test of a large-scale piping system, a series of preliminary tests of materials, piping components and simplified piping systems is intended. In this paper, the current status of the piping component tests and the simplified piping system tests is reported with focus on fatigue damage evaluation under large seismic loading.


Author(s):  
Izumi Nakamura ◽  
Akihito Otani ◽  
Masaki Shiratori

In order to investigate the influence of degradation on the dynamic behavior and failure modes of piping systems with local wall thinning, shake table tests using 3-D piping system models were conducted. About 50% full circumferential wall thinning at elbows was considered in the test. Three types of models were used in the shake table tests. The difference of the models was the applied bending direction to the thinned wall elbow. The bending direction considered in the tests was either of the in-plane bending, out-of-plane bending, or mixed bending of the in-plane and out-of-plane. These models were excited under the same input acceleration until failure occurred. Through these tests, the vibration characteristic and failure modes of piping models with wall thinning under seismic load were obtained. The test results showed that the out-of-plane bending is not significant for a sound elbow, but should be considered for a thinned wall elbow, because the life of piping models with wall thinning subjected to out-of-plane bending may reduce significantly.


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