Hee-Sang Shim

INFLUENCE OF SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO ON EDDY CURRENT SIGNALS OF CRACKS IN STEAM GENERATOR TUBES

This work presents the influence of noise originating from the tube itself on the detectability and sizing accuracy for laboratory-induced outer diameter axial cracks in nuclear steam generator tubes. The variations of signal amplitude and phase angle of the same cracks were analyzed when increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the tube itself from 9 to 18. It was experimentally verified that the detectability for small cracks was enhanced by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. The phase angle also rotated to a value representing the actual position and depth of a crack when increasing the signal-to-noise ratio.

Corrosion Control of Alloy 690 by Shot Peening and Electropolishing under Simulated Primary Water Condition of PWRs

This work clarifies the effect of surface modifications on the corrosion rate of Alloy 690, a nickel-based alloy for steam generator tubes, under the simulated test conditions of the primary water chemistry in nuclear power plants. The surface stress was modified by the shot peening and electropolishing methods. The shot peening treatment was applied using ceramic beads with different intensities by varying the air pressure and projection angle. The corrosion rate was evaluated by gravimetric analysis and the surface was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion rate of Alloy 690 was evaluated from the influence of the stress state on the metal surface. Based on the observation of the surface after the corrosion test, the oxide composition and its structure were affected by the surface modifications. The corrosion behavior of Alloy 690 was distinguished by the shot peening intensity on the surface, and additional electropolishing was effective at reducing the dissolution of nickel ions from the metal surface.