43

Spacer Vibration Measurements and Analysis for the Reactor Vessel and Internals of the SNR-300 by H. Schmidt, Federal Republic of Germany.

Abstract During normal operation the SNR-300 LMFBR power plant has a well defined coolant flow distribution with a moderate velocity level. The flow induced vibration potential is therefore very low. Nevertheless much effort has been devoted to study the vibrational behaviour of the reactor internals and the vessel structure. In recent years a number of flow vibration tests in water loops and performance tests in sodium have been conducted with SNR fuel assemblies. Although some uncertainty will remain due to the reactor environment/ the experimental evidence from these tests indicates that flow induced vibration in SNR-300 fuel assemblies will be insignificant. In order to meet the licensing conditions for securing the integrity of the internals, an iterative procedure is planned, consisting of theoretical and experimental structure analysis and a final vibration measurement during reactor commissioning. First results are presented.

Stem Guide Cylinder Guide Ring

Stem Guide

Reconstructed Points

1. Introduction Assuming the energy dissipation in the flow field to band source of flow induced vibration, the potential areas in reactor designs are located in positions of energy losses, combined with a weak damped vibratory of a corresponding proper frequency range. be a wide problem high flow structure

Fig. 21 Reconstructions of Stop Valve for Preventing Flow Induced Vibration

Flow induced vibrations of structures are not avoidable. The task of the design should therefore be a reduction of amplitudes in order to avoid damage by vibration. Smooth flow conditions, low flow velocities and a well tuned structure seem to be an appropriate means for achieving this goal.

For the SNR-3OO design the treatment of structural vibration has been classified into two categories - investigations in structures with supposed vibration problems, - investigations on reactor internals in fulfilling licensing requirements. Analytical and experimental investigations as well as out-ofpile performance tests have been performed with structures of the first category, for instance fuel assembly dummies. No significant vibration problems are to be expected for the second kind of structures during normal operation. To secure the structural integrity of such components a structural analysis program has been scheduled consisting of a theoretical analysis of single components and the whole structure. This analysis shall be performed by mathematic-mechanical models based on structural data obtained from experimental analysis. The actual dynamic stresses of the structure will be obtained from a final measurement of flow induced vibrations in a preoperational test during commissioning. The analysis of the reactor vessel can be regarded as the first step.

In the above mentioned sense problem areas are to be expected in coolant flow regions of either high kinetic energy or in the neighbourhood of coolant flow discontinuities. Areas of high coolant flow velocities are the inlet and outlet pipes, some fuel assemblies and the bubble separator. At a maximum total flow rate of about 4.28 m /s the maximum velocities in these regions are about 6 m/s. The velocities at most parts of the flow path are around or less than 1 m/s. In the high velocity areas flow induced vibration problems may arise. The low velocity regions are not considered to be problem areas with respect to flow induced vibration.

44

3.

Vibrational Investigations on Fuel Assemblies

The SNR-300 fuel assembly consists of 169 fuel rods with a rod diameter of 6.0 mm and a length of about 2.45 m. The fuel rods are assembled in a bundle by means of 14 spacer grids. Since the assemblies are located in a potential problem area, a careful design procedure and performance tests with respect to flow induced vibration have been executed. The design and performance procedure consists of 4 steps with the following general purposes

2.

Flow Path and supposed Problem Areas of the SNR-3OO

The SNR-300 is a loop-type reactor with three external primary loops. Fig. 1 shows a cross section of the reactor. The sodium is fed through the inlet pipes to the bubble separator. For the purpose of gas bubble separation there is a rotating flow generated by a tangential initial flow direction. Within the separator the coolant is splited into two parts. The smaller quantity of the coolant is fed to the blanket region, while the remaining part flows through the guide vanes into the lower plenum. The task of the guide vanes is to transform the rotating flow into an irrotational flow. The coolant flow is then feeding the single fuel assemblies, via an orifice system according to the expected power distribution. The single fuel assembly coolant flow branches reach the upper plenum and then enter the outlet pipes passing the annular gap between the dip plate and the flow skirt.

1.

Theoretical structure analysis - mode shapes and Eigenfrequencies - parametric studies of spacer grid arrangements - selection of spacer grid arrangement yielding desired mode shapes

2.

Experimental analysis within a vibration testing set-up in air - harmonic excitation of the selected assembly configurations - random excitation of the selected assembly configurations - mode shapes and Eigenfrequencies - calibration of fuel rods equipped with vibration transducers

3.

Full scale "tests within a water test loop - flow induced vibration - pressure fluctuation - hydraulic data

4.

Structural Investigations on Reactor Internals

45

4.

Full scale performance and endurance tests within a sodium test loop - flow induced vibration - hydraulic data - corrosion, erosion and wear effects

Although there are no severe vibration problems to be expected for the reactor internals at SNR-3OO, there exists a certain demand to investigate the vibrational behaviour of these structures. First for the purpose of structural design and second to fulfil licensing requirements. The aim of these investigations is to establish mathematic-mechanical models for measurement interpretations and the prediction of the vibrational behaviour of complex structures. 4.1 Proposed Procedure

The task of the first step is the selection of the best spacer grid arrangement for a minimization of vibration amplitudes in regions of high thermal stresses. The best choice in that sense is a spacer grid distribution with decreasing distances from the lower to the upper part of the fuel assembly. Due to the competing fact, that the allowable distances between spacer grids have been rather restricted by thermal bowing and buckling stress considerations, such a choice could not have been realized. Fig. 2 shows the first two mode shapes of a fuel rod with the actual spacer grid arrangement. During the second step selected configurations have been subjected to exciting electrodynamic forces, distributed almost uniformly along the rod axis. The last two steps have been performed with a full scale dummy assembly of the finally selected configuration. The measured strain amplitudes increased with increasing flow velocity by a power of 1.7 to about 3.O. The ascent of the strain amplitude is influenced by the design of the test loop and its operation mode. Fig. 3 shows, how the strain PSD depends upon the flow rate (90 m /s = 5.2 m / s ) . The observed maximum strain amplitudes are rather small. An example of the strain frequency distribution, obtained from a random strain history, is pointed out in Fig. 4. The maximum strain amplitude is less than 6 um/m, but 98% of the strain amplitudes are less than 2 um/m. Endurance tests over more than 3000 hours under severe conditions also yield no significant wear or other damage due to vibration.

The approximation of a structure by mathematical models may be considered to be an iterative process. The first step within this process is the generation of the model. During a second step the assumptions of the model have to be verified by experimental analysis. In case of discrepancies the model must be modified. For the SNR the following procedure has been scheduled:

1.

Investigation of single components - theoretical analysis - experimental analysis of the components at the factory or at the construction site

2.

Investigation of the whole system - complex theoretical models - experimental analysis of the system installed into the reactor building

3.

in-situ measurements of the flow and structure induced vibrations of the system at various operating conditions during commissioning - prediction by the models - interpretation of the measurements with the support of the theoretical models

4.2 The Structural Analysis System A modal analysis system has been chosen to perform the experimental part of the investigations. Modal analysis is indeed a time consuming method but also the most accurate at present. A flow chart of the system is drawn on Fig. 5. The structure is excited simultaneously by several shakers. For the purpose of analysis a force in quadrature may be introduced to the structure. The structural response is picked up by a lot of transducers. Co- and quad-components of all signals are available from the output of the system. A computer system performs the control and evaluation functions. 4.3 structural Analysis of the Reactor Vessel

46
Control rods Support girders

Rotating plug

Sodium inlet

Operating level
As a first step in the scheduled program a finite element model of the reactor vessel has been established. The model contains elements of the thin shell and the beam type. For the calculations the SAP IV program was used. The experimental analysis has been performed at the factory (VOEST, Austria). The reactor vessel, standing in an upright position, supported as schematically drawn in Fig. 9, has been excited by 4 electrodynamic shakers. Each shaker had a maximum force of 1000 N. The test had been executed in two runs with two different shaker arrangements. During the first run the shakers were connected to the upper flange and in the second to the pipe connections. Fig. 6 and 7 show typical mode shapes excited on the flange while Fig. 8 shows an example of a mode shape excited at the pipe connections. The modal damping values were evaluated with two different methods, the "In-Phase Component Method" and the "Method of Force in Quadrature". Modes excited on the flange in general yield higher damping values than modes excited on pipe connections. Damping values in the range of 1 % to 1 /oo have been obtained for the modes excited on the flange and values less than 1 /oo for the other modes. Fig. 9 shows that the model yields a rather good first approximation of the structure. It is also evident that the model needs to be improved on several points.

Dip plate Reactor vessel Emergency level Core Guard vessel

Flow skirt Core support structure Bubble separator Flow guide vanes

FIG. 1.
Diagrammatic sketch of the SNR 300

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49

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Mode 102 FIG. 7.

Example of a measured vessel node shape (development of the cylindrical part, frequency33,6 Hz)

50

Mode 103

Example of a measured vessel mode shape (development of the cylindrical part, frequency 6,8 Hz)

Mode 118

FIG. 8.
Example of a measured vessel mode shape (development of the cylindrical part, frequency 58,5 Hz)

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 51
Substantiation of Vibration Strength of Nuclear Reactor and Steam Generator Internals; Main Problems by V. G. Fyodorov and V. F. Sinyavsky, USSR. ABSTRACT The report details the scope and priority of studies necessary for substantiation of vibration strength of steam generator tube bundles and reactor fuel assemblies, and design modifications helping to reduce flow-induced vibration of the internals specified. Steam generator tube bundles are studied on the basis of a standard establishing vibration requirements at various stages of design, manufacture and operation of a steam generator at a nuclear power station. The main vibration characteristics of tubes obtained through model and full-scale tests are compared with calculation results. Results are provided concerning test-stand vibration tests of fuel elements and fuel assemblies. I. INTRODUCTION

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Predicted and measured Eigenfrequencies of the SHR 300 reactor vessel

Coolant flow in the NPS circulating circuit is the most dangerous source of appearance of disturbance forces which are able to induce and maintain vibration of the structural elements,primarily, the reactor and steam generator internals. Currently, the research study of the NPS equipment vibration assumes the fundamental nature when one should not be limited by the development of private solutions to prevent the separate structures from excessive vibration but conduct the comprehensive program of theoretical and experimental works. Recent tendency to the continuous increasing of powex", reduction of weight-dimension characteristics of the reactor plants as well as the simultaneous increasing of requirements for their safe operation predetermine the most increasing importance of vibration problem and its actuality in the nuclear energy [^2^ In spite of internals variety the following structural elements for which flow-induced vibration is the most dangerous may be specified;

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