Jet pumps in a boiling water reactor (BWR) are located in the annulus region between the core shroud and the reactor vessel wall and provide core flow to control reactor power. Between 16 and 24 jet pumps are included in BWR/3 through BWR/6 plants, depending on the plant rating. The inlet mixer assembly of the jet pump is secured in place with a hold down mechanism called a jet pump beam. This beam is fabricated of alloy X-750 and tensioned to 58–74% of the yield stress of the material, depending on the beam design. In recent years, more attention has been placed upon inter-granular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) of alloy X-750 BWR internal components as a result of in-service cracking and failures. BWR plant owners have implemented actions to manage IGSCC of jet pump beams and assemblies through increased inspections and changes to process specifications for X-750. However, a thorough understanding of the flaw tolerance of the jet pump beam was not available to guide the periodicity of inspections as well as to define critical flaw sizes needed to validate the capability of inspection techniques. This paper describes a linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) evaluation in which the flaw tolerance of the existing jet pump beam designs is established and used to recommend inspection frequencies for the jet pump beam. Industry operating experience is used to assess the credibility of the results obtained from this evaluation. This work illustrates an example of the use of LEFM to develop a technically defensible basis for the required inspection regions and the frequency of inspection for an alloy X-750 BWR internal component and helps to establish the necessary sensitivity of non-destructive examination technology to be used to examine the component.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2009 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference
July 26–30, 2009
Prague, Czech Republic
Conference Sponsors:
- Pressure Vessels and Piping
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4369-7
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
In-Service Inspection Strategy for Alloy X-750 BWR Jet Pump Beams Based Upon Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Analysis
Daniel V. Sommerville,
Daniel V. Sommerville
Structural Integrity Associates, Inc., Centennial, CO
Search for other works by this author on:
Hardayal Mehta,
Hardayal Mehta
General Electric-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Americas, San Jose, CA
Search for other works by this author on:
Robert Carter,
Robert Carter
Electric Power Research Institute, Charlotte, NC
Search for other works by this author on:
Jonathon Kubiak
Jonathon Kubiak
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA
Search for other works by this author on:
Daniel V. Sommerville
Structural Integrity Associates, Inc., Centennial, CO
Hardayal Mehta
General Electric-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Americas, San Jose, CA
Robert Carter
Electric Power Research Institute, Charlotte, NC
Jonathon Kubiak
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA
Paper No:
PVP2009-77131, pp. 1049-1061; 13 pages
Published Online:
July 9, 2010
Citation
Sommerville, DV, Mehta, H, Carter, R, & Kubiak, J. "In-Service Inspection Strategy for Alloy X-750 BWR Jet Pump Beams Based Upon Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Analysis." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference. Volume 6: Materials and Fabrication, Parts A and B. Prague, Czech Republic. July 26–30, 2009. pp. 1049-1061. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2009-77131
Download citation file:
14
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
A Means of Assessing the Effects of Periodic Proof Testing and NDE on the Reliability of Cyclically Loaded Structures
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (May,1978)
Improvement of Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics Analysis Code PASCAL-SP Regarding Stress Corrosion Cracking in Nickel Based Alloy Weld Joint of Piping System in Boiling Water Reactor
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (February,2022)
Detection and Sizing of Defects in Control Rod Drive Mechanism Penetrations Using Eddy Current and Ultrasonics
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,1996)
Related Chapters
Subsection NG—Core Support Structures
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Codes, Volume 1 Sixth Edition
Overview of Section XI Stipulations
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 2, Third Edition
Subsection NG — Core Support Structures
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 1, Third Edition