Development of ToSPACE for Pipe Wall Thinning Management in Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

A number of piping components in the secondary system of nuclear power plants are exposed to aging mechanisms such as FAC (Flow-Accelerated Corrosion), cavitation, flashing, SPE (Solid Particle Erosion), LDIE (Liquid Droplet Impingement Erosion), etc. Those mechanisms may lead to thinning, leak, or rupture of the components. Due to the pipe ruptures caused by wall thinning in Surry unit 2 of USA in 1986 and in Mihama unit 3 of Japan in 1994, the pipe wall thinning management has emerged as one of the most important issues in nuclear power plants. To manage the pipe wall thinning in the secondary system, Korea has used a foreign program since 1996. As using the foreign country’s program for long term, it was necessary to improve from the perspective of the users. Accordingly, KEPCO-E & C has started to develop the 3D-based pipe wall thinning management program (ToSPACE, Total Solution for Piping And Component Engineering management) from eight years ago, and the development was successful. This paper describes the major functions included in ToSPACE program, such as 3D-based DB (Database) buildup, development of FAC and erosion evaluation theories, UT (Ultra-sonic Test) data reliability analysis, field connection with 3D, automatic establishment of long-term inspection plan, etc. ToSPACE program was developed to allow site engineers performing the selection of inspection quantity at each refueling outage, UT data reliability analysis, UT evaluation, determination of next inspection timing, identification of the inspecting and replacing components in 3D drawings, etc., to access easily.