Eddy current for the characterization of broached tube support plate blockage
AssigneeAreva Np
InventorsJohn C. Griffith, Joseph R. Wyatt, Mihai G. M. Pop, Jeffrey M. Fleck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for determining tube support plate blockage of a steam generator includes the following steps: measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection; calculating a nominal clean fit radius of flow hole; determining a center signal response; converting the center signal response to a deposit thickness; determine an edge reduction; converting the edge reduction to an edge thickness; calculating the resulting flow hole radius; verifying the reasonableness of the resulting flow hole radius; and determining a virtual calibration range.
Claims25
A method for evaluating steam generator operational attributes comprising:
- using eddy current measurements to determine a value for a blockage of each of a plurality of tube support plate flow areas of a steam generator by considering all flow holes of each of the tube support plate flow areas;
- inputting the value for each of the plurality of tube support plate flow areas of the steam generator into a computer implemented thermo/hydraulic model;
- and
- operating the computer implemented thermo/hydraulic model to estimate an effect of the blockage on critical steam generator operational attributes,
- wherein the using the eddy current measurements to determine the value for the blockage includes calculating a resulting flow hole radius at each of the tube support plate flow areas.
A method for evaluating steam generator operational attributes comprising:
- measuring at least five different eddy current values per tube support intersection;
- using eddy current measurements to determine a value for a blockage of each of a plurality of tube support plate flow areas of a steam generator by considering all flow holes of each of the tube support plate flow areas;
- inputting the value for each of the plurality of tube support plate flow areas of the steam generator into a computer implemented thermo/hydraulic model;
- and
- operating the computer implemented thermo/hydraulic model to estimate an effect of the blockage on critical steam generator operational attributes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.