Numerical simulation of SIF in Es-Salam research reactor vessel

Abstract

Abstract During NPP operation the reactor vessel will be affected by degradation mechanizms, such as thermal aging, irradiation embrittlement, corrosion and fatigue. These degradation mechanisms may significantly impact component integrity. When the metal is aging under certain conditions, the crack can appear and this finally could lead to the failure of components. The stress intensity factor (SIF) as fracture criterion are used to evaluate the resistance to fracture of the components with cracks. In the case of complex structures the estimation of stress intensity factor it is complicated by applying only the analytical formulas. The Es-Salam research reactor vessel is a complex 3D structure with high level safety requirements. As a result, sophisticated methods are necessary for the fracture analysis of critical components. In this manuscript the proposed methodology for the numerical simulation of the stress intensity factor in Es-Salam research reactor vessel by finite element method using software ANSYS is presented. The validation of the proposed methodology was performed by analytical analysis (according ASME requirement and R6 method (SACC software)). Additionally this methodology was validated by applying a finite element method using software ABAQUS. The comparison of these results shows a good coincidence, and the deviation does not exceed 9%. According to this, the proposed methodology can be used for numerical simulation of the stress intensity factor in Es-Salam research reactor vessel.