| The goal of this project is to present a method for describing leaks from piping in nuclear power plants. The predominant failure types being from erosion/corrosion and fatigue vibration. One such piping type present in all power plants is fire sprinkler systems. This setup allowed for testing of three pipe diameters, 1-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch. Three different pipe failures were tested - longitudinal cracks, circumferential cracks, and cracks on the outside of elbows. The leaks were tested by varying valves upstream and downstream of the test section. From these tests, three different leak types were identified. Type 1 acted as the baseline, Type 2 leaks display the lowest leak rates and velocities and Type 3 display the highest leak rates, pressures, and velocities. This thesis is early work in the assessment of leaks and leak patterns as a flooding type in nuclear power plants, and there is much future possible.
Key Words: pipe, leak, spray, pattern, pump, flooding, component, failure |