Cavitation experience with control valves in nuclear power plants

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:100932

Ozol, J ^[1]; Kim, J H ^[2]; Healzer, J ^[3]

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1. Commonwealth Edison Company, Downers Grove, IL (United States)
2. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
3. S. Levy Inc., Campbell, CA (United States)

Cavitation-induced damage in flow control valves and downstream piping has been responsible for major operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for the electric power industry for many years. On May 2, 1989, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Generic Letter 89-08 ``Erosion/Corrosion-Induced Pipe Wall Thinning`` which focused attention on flow-induced damage, including cavitation, to valves and piping in safety related systems. However, the problem of cavitation damage to flow control valves and related equipment can exist in many power plant piping systems. This paper provides several examples of cavitation-related problems which have occurred at several of Commonwealth Edison`s nuclear power generation stations and the actions, some successful and some unsuccessful, taken to resolve them.

• OSTI ID: 100932
• Report Number(s): CONF-940659--; ISBN 0-7918-1373-8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CAVITATION
DAMAGE
DATA
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PIPES
SERVICE LIFE
VALVES