Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
$29,500.00
Investigation of the acoustic pressure pulsations in piping system and their effect on the dynamic response of CANDU fuel bundles
FY 2018-19
Summary
Piping systems used in industrial applications such as power stations are liable to generation of pressure pulsations, often arising from the use of reciprocating pumps and/or dynamic instability of valves, which can act as sources of unwanted noise and vibration. In the event that the frequencies of these pulsating sources correspond to the resonant frequencies of the piping system, a very dangerous acoustic resonance condition can result, which can produce extremely large pressure fluctuations, often several times the dynamic head of the flow in the main pipe, as well as substantial vibration of the piping system and surrounding components. These conditions, referred to as Acoustic Induced Vibrations (AIV), can lead to issues with leakage due to gasket and seal ruptures, valve failure, and in serious cases, fatigue and fracture of the piping system, related components and instrumentation. An example of such failure which had a great impact to Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) production was related to CANDU nuclear fuel bundle failures. In 1990, one of the fuel bundles in the Darlington nuclear power plant was damaged as a result of excessive vibration of the fuel elements. Therefore, the main objectives of this project are to experimentally investigate the effectiveness of passive acoustic damping devices on the attenuation of acoustic pressure pulsations in piping system and to numerically simulate the dynamic response of CANDU fuel bundle due to acoustic pressure pulsations. The gained knowledge from this research will provide practical design guidelines for implementation of new passive acoustic damping devices in piping systems to prevent the occurrence of acoustic pressure pulsations. Moreover, a more realistic three dimensional model for predictions of the fuel bundle vibration response to fluid excitations and acoustic pressure pulsations will be developed. This will not only support the increased safety and reliability of piping systems in nuclear power plants which will directly benefit the Canadian economy, but also could be used in future CANDU reactors to avoid fuel bundle failure due to the aforementioned excitation mechanism.*
Program
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
488610-2015
Name nom
Mohany, Atef
Department département
Automotive, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Organization id
19222
Institution établissement
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2018
Competition year année de concours
2015
Award amount
29500
Program id
CRDPJ
Program name en
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Program name fr
Subventions de recherche et développement coopérative
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
302
Area of application group en
Energy resources
Area of application group fr
Ressources d'énergie
Area of application en
Nuclear energy
Area of application fr
Énergie nucléaire
Research subject code
2100
Research subject group en
Mechanical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie mécanique
Research subject en
Mechanical engineering
Research subject fr
Génie mécanique
Partie
3
Nb partie
3
Application title
Investigation of the acoustic pressure pulsations in piping system and their effect on the dynamic response of CANDU fuel bundles
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Piping systems used in industrial applications such as power stations are liable to generation of pressure pulsations, often arising from the use of reciprocating pumps and/or dynamic instability of valves, which can act as sources of unwanted noise and vibration. In the event that the frequencies of these pulsating sources correspond to the resonant frequencies of the piping system, a very dangerous acoustic resonance condition can result, which can produce extremely large pressure fluctuations, often several times the dynamic head of the flow in the main pipe, as well as substantial vibration of the piping system and surrounding components. These conditions, referred to as Acoustic Induced Vibrations (AIV), can lead to issues with leakage due to gasket and seal ruptures, valve failure, and in serious cases, fatigue and fracture of the piping system, related components and instrumentation. An example of such failure which had a great impact to Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) production was related to CANDU nuclear fuel bundle failures. In 1990, one of the fuel bundles in the Darlington nuclear power plant was damaged as a result of excessive vibration of the fuel elements. Therefore, the main objectives of this project are to experimentally investigate the effectiveness of passive acoustic damping devices on the attenuation of acoustic pressure pulsations in piping system and to numerically simulate the dynamic response of CANDU fuel bundle due to acoustic pressure pulsations. The gained knowledge from this research will provide practical design guidelines for implementation of new passive acoustic damping devices in piping systems to prevent the occurrence of acoustic pressure pulsations. Moreover, a more realistic three dimensional model for predictions of the fuel bundle vibration response to fluid excitations and acoustic pressure pulsations will be developed. This will not only support the increased safety and reliability of piping systems in nuclear power plants which will directly benefit the Canadian economy, but also could be used in future CANDU reactors to avoid fuel bundle failure due to the aforementioned excitation mechanism.*
