Condition assessment and trending of condenser tube degradation for condenser life extension

C. Lee Friant; Jennifer L. Schlegel

doi:10.1117/12.209381

12 May 1995 Condition assessment and trending of condenser tube degradation for condenser life extension

C. Lee Friant, Jennifer L. Schlegel

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2454, Nondestructive Evaluation of Aging Utilities; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.209381
Event: Nondestructive Evaluation of Aging Infrastructure, 1995, Oakland, CA, United States

Abstract

Eddy current testing (ET) is routinely used to assess tubing condition in heat exchangers at power plants. Generally, ET results provided by typical final report formats are not well- suited for facilitating condition assessments, especially when the component has a significant number of tubes. The main condenser at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) Unit #1 contains nearly 50,000 tubes. An accurate condition assessment based on 2,500 pages of final reports generated from a 100% condenser inspection in 1992 proved difficult, if not impossible, without some type of automated data management system. With the aid of a data management system, engineering recommendations, founded on database queries and graphics, can be made quickly and reliably. These displays effectively communicate information about overall condition, are helpful in making operating decisions, and aid in predicting future performance. Standard procedures for critical heat exchanger inspections require trending of indication growth over time to determine a rate of tube degradation. Specifically, for the 1994 ET inspection of CCNPP Unit #1 condenser, the size of indications were compared against their 1992 value to determine a mean growth rate. The results of these efforts are presented along with a discussion of how Baltimore Gas and Electric has used eddy current data to prolong the operating life of this condenser while ensuring leak tightness.

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C. Lee Friant and Jennifer L. Schlegel "Condition assessment and trending of condenser tube degradation for condenser life extension", Proc. SPIE 2454, Nondestructive Evaluation of Aging Utilities, (12 May 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.209381

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KEYWORDS

Inspection

Visualization

Databases

Corrosion

Field effect transistors

Chromium

Molybdenum

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