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Damage prevention design of the branch pipe under pressure pulsation transmitted from main steam header
Yeon-Whan Kim1 and Young-Shin Lee2,*
1 2
Korea Electric Power Research Institute Munji-dong, Yuseong, Daejeon, 305-380, Korea Director of BK21 Mechatronics Group, Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, Chungnam National University
(Manuscript Received April 11, 2007; Revised December 3, 2007; Accepted December 15, 2007) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract
Vibration has severely increased at the branch pipe of the main steam header since the beginning of commercial operation of nuclear power plants. Intense broadband disturbance flow at a discontinuous region such as elbows, valves or headers generates an acoustical pulsation which is propagated through the piping system. The pulsation becomes the source of low frequency vibration at the piping system. If it coincides with the natural frequency of the pipe system, excessive vibration results. High-level vibration due to the pressure pulsation related to high dynamic stress, and ultimately, to failure probability fatally affects the reliability and confidence of the plant piping system. This paper discusses steady-state high vibrations appearing in the branch piping system due to the effect of acoustical pulsations transmitted from the large main steam header by broadband turbulence in a 700 MW power plant. The excitation sources and response of the piping system are investigated by using on-site measurements and analytical approaches. Energy absorbing restraints with additional stiffness and damping factor were designed and installed to reduce vibration damage.
Keywords: Branch pipe; Low frequency; Steady-state vibration; Turbulence; Acoustic pressure pulsation; Dynamic stress; Resonance avoidance --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction
Although piping designers mainly study static pressure loads and thermal loads during the design phase of a power plant, in actuality piping vibration is forced, repetitive, and occurs over a relatively long period of time. The force causing the vibration can be generated by acoustic pressure pulsations or fluid flow in the piping system. Flow-induced vibration or acoustic pulsation mechanisms can introduce catastrophic failures in a piping system. The occurrence of acoustic pressure pulsations in a power plant is recognized to be one of the major safety issues. The excitation sources of piping vibration are the
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 42 821 6644, Fax.: +82 42 821 8894 E-mail address: leeys@cnu.ac.kr DOI 10.1007/s12206-007-1205-4
turbulence and vortices generated by flow separation. Fluid flow in the piping system of a power plant generally generates broadband turbulence which can excite low frequency acoustic resonances [1, 2]. Complex piping systems in power plants are often endangered by the occurrence of acoustic resonances associated with dividing junctions [3, 4]. This paper presents a case history pertaining to steady-state high vibration appearing at dividing junction piping branching from the main steam balancing header in a 700 MW nuclear power plant. The branch piping system is designed to bypass the main steam from the balancing header during startup of the power plant. Despite the fact that there is no steam flow in this system during normal operation, the high vibration occurs.
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Then it vertically forwards the main steam to the turbine from both ends of the header or to a condenser through the dividing branch piping system mounted at the right end of the header shown in Fig. 1(a). This branch system consists of three kinds of pipes: the 12" piping is the main pipe of the branch piping system dividing from the balance header and two pieces of 10" pipes and 4" pipe are divided from the 12" piping shown in Fig. 1(b) and Table 1. The material of the branch piping is low carbon steel.
(b) Branch piping system Fig. 1. Configuration of main steam piping system in a power plant.
Table 2. Allowable peak velocity in branch piping system. Pipe Size Velocity (cm/s, peak) 12" 3.5 10" 2.0 4" 2.2
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(b) Major mode shapes of natural response Fig. 2. Violent vibration waves in branch piping and major mode shapes in branch piping.
(b) Spectrums of pressure pulsation Fig. 3. Acoustic standing waves in branch piping.
condition and have half-wave resonance that open ends locate at the balance header and boilers, respectively. Therefore, the pulsation frequencies 1.5Hz, 4.6Hz, 10.7Hz resulting from Eq. (1) and Eq. (2) are nearly coincident with standing waves 1.4Hz, 4.4Hz, 10.2Hz of the branch piping. Then the balance header transmits low frequency pressure pulsations, playing the role of Strouhal turbulence wave to the branch piping system. The acoustic resonance frequencies f for this branch piping can be estimated from Eq. (1).
f (2n 1)a 4L
(1)
The resonance frequencies of the branch piping are 1.4, 4.4, 7.3, 10.2, ... Hz. The acoustic resonance frequencies f for the main steam piping located upstream of the balance header can be estimated from Eq. (2).
f nC 2L
(2)
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to those of the acoustic resonance frequencies of the main steam piping transmitted from the balance header to the branch piping are 1.5, 3.0, 4.6, 6.1, 7.6, 9.1,10.7, ... Hz. Where C is the speed of sound; n is the acoustic mode order and L is the total effective length. PCB 112A05 quartz pressure transducers were installed for measuring the pressure pulsation at the drain lines of the branch piping system. Fig. 3 shows acoustic standing resonances of branch piping excited by pressure pulsation transmitted from the balance header. It confirms that the pulsation frequencies are nearly coincident with standing waves of the branch piping in spite of the condition that is without steam flowing. Therefore, vibration sources of the branch piping are the low frequency pressure pulsations excited by half-wave resonance of the main steam pipes and transmitted from the balance header system. The pulsation frequencies also happen to coincide with standing waves by quarter-wave resonance in the branch piping. In spite of the fact that the branch piping can be shaken at 1.34 or 1.38, 4.41 or 4.50, 6.63, 8.06, 10.72 ...Hz shown in Fig. 3(b) to be the standing resonance frequencies amplified by low frequency pressure pulsations playing the role of Strouhal turbulence waves, the energy and thus pulsation amplitudes are small, on the order of 5-15 pa, zero-to-peak shown in Fig. 3.
(b) Haigh diagram Fig. 4. Dynamic stress by vibration and cycle life.
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to-peak in 12" pipe and from 9.4 cm/s, zero-to-peak to 1.0 cm/s, zero-to-peak in 4" pipe. The displacement is reduced 1/42 times than 7.7 mm, peak-peak to 0.18 mm, peak-to-peak in 12" pipe and 1/48 times than 6.28 mm, peak-to-peak to 0.13 mm, peak-to-peak in 4" pipe as shown in Fig. 7. Also, in order to confirm the validity of the restraint, stress analysis is carried out in case of sustained, expansion stress and checked to determine if it satisfies allowable stress or not. When we consider additional other effects of restraint, it is thought that the vibration reduction method is very effective. All in all, it is found that stresses with installing the restraint satisfy the allowable stresses. Therefore, we confirm the reliability of the piping system.
7. Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn from the case history pertaining to steady-state high vibration at the dividing junction piping branching from the
(a) Added 'WEAR' type supporters (a) Vibration at point 3 of 12" pipe
(b) Natural responses at point 7 in 4" pipe Fig. 6. Vibration reduction measures for resonance avoidance at on-site.
(b) Vibration at point 7 of 4" pipe Fig. 7. Vibration reduction through countermeasure.
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main steam-balancing header in a 700MW power plant. 1) Steady-state high vibrations at low frequency range in the branch piping system were iterated generally and increased at normal operation condition without steam flow after commissioning operation. 2) The vibration sources of the branch piping are the low frequency pressure pulsations excited by halfwave resonance of main steam pipes and transmitted from the balance header system. The pulsation frequencies also happen to coincide with standing waves by quarter-wave resonance in branch piping. 3) Though the standing resonance in branch piping is excited by low frequency pressure pulsations, the energy and thus pulsation amplitudes are small. However, it confirms that when the pressure pulsations are transmitted to the piping, the vibrations are easily amplified at 4.4-4.5 Hz frequency, which nearly coincides with its natural mechanical frequency, 4.6 Hz or 4.7 Hz. 4) Therefore, passive reduction measures adding or changing WEAR type supports and struts for separation of acoustical and mechanical resonances from each other and from excitation frequencies were selected. Then the high vibration was reduced more than 1/40 times by countermeasure. It means that although the pulsation amplitudes are small, when they coincide with a pipe systems natural mechanical frequencies, the mechanical resonant amplification of the steam piping system in power plant is more than
40 times.
References
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