Analysis of pipe thickness reduction according to pH in FAC facility with In situ ultrasonic measurement real time monitoring

Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a type of pipe corrosion in which the pipe thickness decreases depending on the fluid flow conditions. In nuclear power plants, FAC mainly occurs in the carbon steel pipes of a secondary system. However, because the temperature of a secondary system pipe is over 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear engineering and technology Vol. 54; no. 1; pp. 186 - 192
Main Authors: Oh, Se-Beom, Kim, Jongbeom, Lee, Jong-Yeon, Kim, Dong-Jin, Kim, Kyung-Mo
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2022
Elsevier
한국원자력학회
Subjects:
Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC)
High-temperature pipe
Thickness monitoring
Waveguide
원자력공학
Thickness monitoring
Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC)
Waveguide
High-temperature pipe
ISSN:1738-5733, 2234-358X
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a type of pipe corrosion in which the pipe thickness decreases depending on the fluid flow conditions. In nuclear power plants, FAC mainly occurs in the carbon steel pipes of a secondary system. However, because the temperature of a secondary system pipe is over 150 °C, in situ monitoring using a conventional ultrasonic non-destructive testing method is difficult. In our previous study, we developed a waveguide ultrasonic thickness measurement system. In this study, we applied a waveguide ultrasonic thickness measurement system to monitor the thinning of the pipe according to the change in pH. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute installed FAC-proof facilities, enabling the monitoring of internal fluid flow conditions, which were fixed for ~1000 h to analyze the effect of the pH. The measurement system operated without failure for ~3000 h and the pipe thickness was found to be reduced by ~10% at pH 9 compared to that at pH 7. The thickness of the pipe was measured using a microscope after the experiment, and the reliability of the system was confirmed with less than 1% error. This technology is expected to also be applicable to the thickness-reduction monitoring of other high-temperature materials.
ISSN:1738-5733
2234-358X
DOI:10.1016/j.net.2021.07.048