NESC

Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Effectiveness of Structural Integrity Benchmarks

Rauno Rintamaa
VTT Industrial Systems, NESC Chairman 1999-2003
Nigel Taylor
EC DG-JRC, NESC Network Manager 1999 -

Presentation to the Int. Seminar “ Networking for Effective R&D”

Petten, 22-23 September 2003
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Introduction to NESC
z The Network for Evaluating Structural
Components was set up 1993 to
Defects/
Loads NDE
Materials address the development and
properties
validation of the structural integrity
assessment as a multi-disciplinary,
integrated process.
Fracture z Forum of some 60 organisations
mechanics (operators, manufacturers, regulators,
service companies and RTD institutes)
Integrated Integrity Assessment
z Operated by EC’s Joint Research
Centre, Institute for Energy, in
conjunction with the AMES and ENIQ
z Structure very lean - Steering
Committee having highest decision
making power
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC Network Organisation

Chairman: D. Lidbury, Serco Group plc
Vice-Chairmen: E. Keim (Framatome ANP) & R. Bass (ORNL)
Network Operating Agent: EC Joint Research Centre, Petten
Steering Committee
HSE (NII)
AEKI/KFKI
IWM
AVN MPA Stuttgart
Basler & Hofmann NRG
Bay Zoltan Institute NRI
Britsh Energy Generation Ltd. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
CEA Rolls-Royce plc
E.ON Kernkraft Serco Assurance
EDF SKI
EC DG-JRC Tecnatom S.A.
The Welding Institute
Framatome ANP
Tractebel
Framatome ANP GmbH
VTT
GRS
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Project Duration Benchmark Test(s)

NESC-I 1993-2001 AEAT spinning cylinder test
(pressurised thermal shock
assessment for deep defects) NESC Projects
NESC-II 1998-2002 MPA PTS test series for
shallow flaws (PTS
assessment for shallow
defects)
NESC-III 2000-2004 EDF-Adimew test: fracture
assessment for dissimilar
welds in primary piping
systems
NESC-IV 2000-2004 ORNL bend tests to assess
Master Curve transferability
for assessment of shallow
flaws in reactor pressure
vessels
NESC-TF 2003- Compile set of existing
benchmarks
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Themes
The NESC Network
Postulated defects in reactor pressure vessels

» demonstrating safety margins

» validating transferability of lab fracture test data
Postulated defects in piping:

» dissimilar welds
» thermal fatigue
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-I : Spinning Cylinder Test

7 tonne steel cylinder, OD = 1395 mm, t = 175 mm.
18 defects, differing widely in type, size and location
Degraded material condition (To = +68oC)
Very severe PTS transient

Cleavage initiation
and arrest at the
largest (70 mm
deep) surface-
breaking defect
 NESC-I Best-Estimate Analysis NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

The best-estimate of initiation time & location was predicted from FE

computed KJ values with constraint-adjusted Master Curves.
400

350
Cleavage
DEFECT R 208mm
initiation
Base material
m
300 ∆a = 1 0 m BM/HAZ interface
HAZ
∆a=5mm 74 mm
250
“Close to HAZ”
KI [MPa√m]

200 Shallow flaw ∆a=2mm

50 % curve Base material
150 "B" = 25 mm

S08
100 Event detected by
S07 strain gauges
Deep flaw
50 % curve 10 mm HAZ S06
50
S05
"B" = 25 mm 5 mm HAZ
Fracture Analysis Team
S04
0
S03
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
S01
o
Temperature [ C] C08
C07
C06
C05
C03
C02
C01

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Time of Cleavage [secs]
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-I Code based assessments ...

Code Limiting defect depth
• Strict application of
R6 1.8 mm (maximum depth point) nuclear safety codes
would typically allow
6.8 mm (surface point)
defects with a maximum
SKIFS 1994:1 1.2 mm (normal/upset rules) depth in the range of 1
to 9 mm.
5.7 mm (emergency/faulted rules)

KTA 3 mm (no warm pre-stress effect)

• The test result points to
an apparently large
9 mm (warm pre-stress allowed) margin of conservatism.
14 mm (no safety factors, no warm pre-stress effect) • This attributed to the
ASME Section XI 1.2 mm (ASME KIC curve) use of substantial safety
factors as well as a
1.5 mm (NESC-1 KJC data)
lower-bound
BS PD6493:1991 2 mm (NESC-1 KJC 50% data) representation of
material fracture
RCCM <1 mm
toughness
 NESC-1 : Major achievements NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

z Unique large-scale experimental demonstration that large defects

in material related to that of an ageing RPV would not propagate to
cause catastrophic failure under a severe pressurised thermal
shock.
z Accurate prediction of the cleavage and arrest event verified the
capabilities of state-of-the-art structural integrity assessment
techniques
z Identification of uncertainties in the analysis process.
z Verification of improvements in NDE detection and sizing for
under-clad defects with respect to earlier PISC trials.
z Validation of use of direct fracture toughness data via the
application of Master Curve Approach in the integrity assessment
z Set of 19 detailed technical reports detailing the work performed
and implications for best practices
 NESC-2: PTS Assessment for
NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Shallow Flaws

150 MC Modif, Med

130 MC, Modif, 5%
110
Kj, MPam^1/2

MC, Modif, 95%

90 IWM, Deppest point
70 Framatome
50
DNV
30
10
-10
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
T (C)

The NESC-II PTS test for shallow surface-breaking flaws was

performed in November 1999; despite the degraded material
and severe transient, no crack growth occurred.
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Themes
The NESC Network
Postulated defects in reactor pressure vessels

» demonstrating safety margins

» validating transferability of lab fracture test data
Postulated defects in piping:

» dissimilar welds
» thermal fatigue
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Transferability:
ensuring appropriate
use of data from
laboratory-scale
fracture mechanics
specimens for
assessing real or
postulated flaws
Current approaches to be validated:
Qualitative
• FE analysis of local constraint parameter(s) +
appropriate Master Curve (a/W=0.5, a/W=0.1)
Quantitative (mostly in development)
• Master Curve with To correction from T-stress analysis (Wallin)
• Weibull stress model (ORNL)
• Coupled local approach models
• Prometey method
• R6 procedure level 3
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-IV: an investigation of the hProduction-quality RPV

transferability of Master Curve technology to from a cancelled plant
shallow flaws in reactor pressure vessel hA533 B steel plate, 5 mm
thick overlay clad, SAW
applications longitudinal weld with
A533 B Class 1 filler,
Shell thickness is 232
mm
h6 isothermal tests at
ORNL to fracture on
cruciform beam
components with shallow
surface-breaking defects
in weld material
h4 tests on uniaxially
loaded beams with
embedded flaws
hTest temperature as high
as possible to produce a
cleavage event with
constrained yielding but
without stable ductile
tearing
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

200
Load versus CMOD PVR-3

T-T o = 42.7°C
PVR-5
curves from the five

T = -35.3°C
PVR-2
PVR-6
PVR-1

T-T o = 37.8°C
of the NESC-IV 160

Longitudinal Moment (kN-m)

cruciform beam

T-T o = 37.4°C

T-T o = 44.6°C
T = -40.6°C
tests. 120

T-T o = 39.7°C
T = -38.3°C
T o = -78°C
80

53 mm

40 3-D FLAW

SPECIMEN

0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
CMOD (mm)

Analysis of the fracture surface

of a biaxial bend test piece to
identify initiation sites
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

200
NESC-IV: T0) VTT /ORNL =-88.3°C

Comparison of SE(B) and

Toughness, KJc (MPa.m^1/2)

150
C(T) data with results of
biaxial cruciform tests
performed by ORNL. These 100

confirm that the constraint

loss due to the shallow flaw VTT SE(B) data

effect can be offset by 50 ORNL C(T) data

KJc(med)
biaxial loading conditions KJc (5%)
KJc (95%)
Cruciform beams
0
-130 -110 -90 -70 -50 -30 -10
Temperature, (°C)

The results are being evaluated together with results of previous NESC
projects and the Vocalist EC-funded project to produce best-practice
guidelines:
“Best Practice Handbook for Application of Constraint-Based
Procedures in Structural Integrity Assessment”,
1st version, released Dec. 2002
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Themes
The NESC Network
Postulated defects in reactor pressure vessels

» demonstrating safety margins

» validating transferability of lab fracture test data
Postulated defects in piping:

» dissimilar welds
» thermal fatigue
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-III: Integrity of Dissimilar Welds

• NESC-III aims to verify critical aspects of
Inserted defect
integrity assessment procedure for defect-
containing, dissimilar metal welds in aged
PWR Class 1 piping.
ƒ It is formed around ADIMEW, an EC WELD
funded project, to perform a full-scale test
4-point bend test on a DMW assembly at SA 508 316 L
300°C (pipe dimensions are OD 450 mm Section of the dissimilar weld
and wall thickness 55 mm)

3m
EDF’s test set-up
Ram

8m Floor
Crack position
m DMW
m

The test was successfully Extension arm

Extension arm m
executed in July 2003. m
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-III and ADIMEW Interaction

ADIMEW NESC-III Project
(in-kind contribution)
Component
Fabrication • Inspection/NDT performance (TG1)
• Residual stress simulations using FE (TG6)
Residual stress Materials props.
measurement characterisation • Additional materials testing (TG2)
• Additional fracture mechanics analysis (TG3)
Fracture
mechanics • Overall evaluation (TG5)

Instrumentation
& testing

Agreed data
Evaluation &
reporting
exchange
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-III performance trial for in-service inspection of two dissimilar welds

(austenitic and inconel fillers)
JRC-IE has prepared a special weld assembly 308/30 weld 182 weld

with implanted defects. Strict measures are

taken to ensure their exact details are kept
secret from the participants.
It is now being circulated to the teams, and the
results will be analysed by the JRC and reported
on a confidential basis in early 2004.

Inserting surface defects at the welds ... An internal anti-X-ray The component is locked
device is used … to prevent access
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-III Results of numerical analysis of residual stress field in a

dissimilar metal weld
A round-robin on use of finite element software to
simulate the residual stresses in the NESC-
III/Adimew dissimilar metal weld is in progress. The
results are now being verified with neutron
diffraction measurements made at the HFR in The weld heat input is modelled in the
Petten.. initial phase of thermal calculations

The FE prediction
for the axial
residual stresses
across the weld

The dissimilar weld for connecting the

main piping to the pressuriser in LWR’s
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Themes
The NESC Network
Postulated defects in reactor pressure vessels

» demonstrating safety margins

» validating transferability of lab fracture test data
Postulated defects in piping:

» dissimilar welds
» thermal fatigue
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

NESC-Thermal Fatigue
Thermal fatigue is a topic of increasing importance for NPP piping
systems e.g. the mixing T scenario, which is the focus of the on-going
THERFAT EC-funded project

mixing area
hot

weld

Location of thermal fatigue?

cold
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Co-ordinated approach towards improved

thermal fatigue assessment procedures

European Methodology for Thermal Fatigue

NESC Thermal Fatigue Project

(launched March 2003)

International
initiatives
(OECD, EPRI etc.)

THERFAT Project
(2001-2004, Part EC Funded)
Contribution in kind
 NESC
Network for Evaluating Steel Components

Conclusions
• Large-scale experimental benchmarks play an important
role in ensuring the reliability of advanced structural
analysis assessment procedures for safety-critical reactor
components.

• NESC network projects have proved an effective means of

bringing together European and international R&D effort to
exploit such benchmark tests.