The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has approved several extended power uprates (EPU) for Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs). In some of the BWRs, operating at the higher EPU power levels and flow rates led to high-cycle fatigue damage of Steam Dryers, including the generation of loose parts. Since those failures occurred, all BWR owners proposing EPUs have been required by the USNRC to ensure that the steam dryers would not experience high-cycle fatigue cracking. This paper provides an overview of BWR steam dryer design; the fatigue failures that occurred at the Quad Cities (QC) nuclear power plants and their root causes; a brief history of BWR EPUs; and a discussion of steam dryer modifications/replacements, alternating stress mechanisms on steam dryers, and structural integrity evaluation methods (static and alternating stress).
Issue Section:
Research Papers
References
1.
NRC
, 2017, “Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Systems
,” U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, MD, accessed Sept. 23, 2017, www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/for-educators/03.pdf2.
Hambric
, S.
, Mulcahy
, T.
, Shah
, V.
, Scarbrough
, T.
, and Wu
, J.
, 2006
, “Acoustic Loading on BWR Steam Dryers Caused by Valve Singing
,” 9th NRC/ASME Symposium on Valves, Pumps, and Inservice Testing, Washington, DC, July 17–19, Paper No. NUREG/CP-0152
.https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0727/ML072700042.pdf3.
NRC
, 2002
, “Failure of Steam Dryer Cover Plate After a Recent Power Uprate
,”U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, NRC Information Notice 2002-26
.https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0225/ML022530291.pdf4.
NRC
, 2003
, “Additional Failure of Steam Dryer After a Recent Power Uprate
,” U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, NRC Information Notice 2002-26, Suppl. 1.5.
NRC
, 2004
, “Additional Flow-Induced Vibration Failures After a Recent Power Uprate
,” U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, NRC Information Notice 2002 - 26, Suppl. 2.6.
GE Nuclear Energy
, 2006, “BWR Steam Dryer Integrity
,” GE SIL No. 644, Rev. 2, GE Nuclear Energy, ADAMS Accession No. ML082530175
.https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0500/ML050040048.pdf7.
Ziada
, S.
, and Lafon
, P.
, 2014
, “Flow-Excited Acoustic Resonance Excitation Mechanism, Design Guidelines, and Counter Measures
,” ASME Appl. Mech. Rev.
, 66
(1
), p. 010802
.8.
Baldwin
, R. M.
, and Simmons
, H. R.
, 1986
, “Flow-Induced Vibration in Safety Relief Valves
,” ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol.
, 108
(3
), pp. 267
–272
.9.
Ruggles
, A.
, Moore
, E.
, Shehane
, M.
, Zhang
, B.
, and Sparger
, J.
, 2009
, “Side Branch Interaction With Main Line Standing Waves and Related Component Load Definition
,” ASME
Paper No. IMECE2009-12214.10.
DeBoo
, G.
, Ramsden
, K.
, Gesior
, R.
, and Strub
, B.
, 2007
, “Identification of Quad Cities Main Steam Line Acoustic Sources and Vibration Reduction
,” ASME
Paper No. PVP2007-26658.11.
ASME
, 2013
, “Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III—Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components, Subsection NG, Design Fatigue Curves
,” American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, New Yorkhttp://bsb.co.in/ASME_BPVC_2013/OUT/BPVC-III-1A_2013.pdf.12.
ASME
, 2013
, “Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III—Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components, Appendix I, Design Fatigue Curves
,” American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, New Yorkhttp://bsb.co.in/ASME_BPVC_2013/OUT/BPVC-III-1A_2013.pdf.13.
Ohtsuka
, M.
, Fujimoto
, K.
, Takahashi
, S.
, Hirokawa
, F.
, and Tsubaki
, M.
, 2006
, “Study on Acoustic Resonance and Its Damping of BWR Steam Dome
,” International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP), Reno, NV, June 4--8, Paper No. 6186
https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:39042819.14.
Szasz
, G.
, Fujikawa
, K.
, and DeBoo
, G.
, 2006
, “Assessment of Steam Line Dynamic Pressures Using External Strain Gage Measurements
,” ASME
Paper No. PVP2006-ICPVT-11-93206.15.
Continuum Dynamics
, 2008
, “Acoustic and Low Frequency Hydrodynamic Loads at CLTP Power Level on Browns Ferry Nuclear Unit 1 Steam Dryer to 250 Hz, Rev. 1
,” Continuum Dynamics, Inc., Ewing, NJ, Report No. 08-04NP
, Document No. ML081750084.https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0817/ML081750084.pdf16.
Forsyth
, D.
, and Longoni
, G.
, 2010
, Solving the Steam Dryer Degradation Problem
, Westinghouse Engineering Energy Magazine
.17.
Seybert
, A. F.
, and Ross
, D. F.
, 1977
, “Experimental Determination of Acoustic of Acoustic Properties Using a Two Microphone Random Excitation Technique
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
, 61
(5
), pp. 1362
–1370
.18.
Seybert
, A. F.
, 1988
, “Two-Sensor Methods for the Measurement of Sound Intensity and Acoustic Properties in Ducts
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
, 83
(6
), pp. 2233
–2239
.19.
Abom
, M.
, and Boden
, H.
, 1988
, “Error Analysis of Two-Microphone Measurements in Ducts With Flow
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
, 83
(6
), pp. 2429
–2438
.20.
Karplus
, H. B.
, 1961
, “Propagation of Pressure Waves in a Mixture of Water and Steam
,” Armour Research Foundation of Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States Atomic Energy Commission Contract No. AT (11-1) 528, Report No. D132A13.21.
Petr
, V.
, 2004
, “Wave Propagation in Wet Steam
,” Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng., Part C
, 218
(8
), pp. 871
–882
.22.
ASME,
2013
, “Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III—Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components, Appendix N, Dynamic Analysis Methods
,” American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, New Yorkhttp://bsb.co.in/ASME_BPVC_2013/OUT/BPVC-III-1A_2013.pdf.23.
NRC
, “Comprehensive Vibration Assessment Program for Reactor Internals During Preoperational and Startup Testing
.” U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, Regulatory Guide 1.20
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/02/13/2017-02864/comprehensive-vibration-assessment-program-for-reactor-internals-during-preoperational-and-startup.24.
NRC
, 2013
, “Programs for Monitoring Boiling-Water Reactor Steam Dryer Integrity
,” U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, NRC Information Notice 2013 - 10, ADAMS Accession No. ML13003A049
.https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1300/ML13003A049.pdfCopyright © 2018 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.
