An analysis of factors causing the occurrence of off-design thermally induced force effects in the zone of weld joint no. 111-1 in a PGV-1000M steam generator and recommendations on excluding them

Abstract

Inadmissible operational flaws occurring in the critical zones of heat-transfer and mechanical equipment are commonly revealed in all nuclear power plant units both in Russia and abroad. The number of such flaws will only grow in the future because the majority of nuclear power plants have been in operation for a time that is either close to or even exceeds the assigned service life. In this connection, establishing cause-and-effect relations with regard to accelerated incipience and growth of flaws, working out compensating measures aimed at reducing operational damageability, and setting up monitoring of equipment integrity degradation of during operation are becoming the matters of utmost importance. There is a need to introduce new approaches to comprehensive diagnostics of the technical state of important nuclear power plant equipment, including continuous monitoring of its operational damageability and the extent of its loading in the most critical zones. Starting from 2011, such a monitoring system has successfully been used for the Novovoronezh NPP Unit 5 in the zone of weld joint no. 111-1 of steam generator no. 4. Based on the results from operation of this system in 2011–2013, unsteady thermally induced force effects (periodic thermal shocks and temperature abnormalities) were reveled, which had not been considered in the design, and which have an essential influence on the operational loading of this part. Based on an analysis of cause-and-effect relations pertinent to temperature abnormalities connected with technological operations, a set of measures aimed at reducing the thermally induced force loads exerted on pipeline sections was developed, which includes corrections to the process regulations for safe operation and to the operating manuals (involving changes in the algorithms for manipulating with the stop and control valves in the steam generator blowdown system).