Ice basket stress analysis: D. C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant

A series of full-scale Ice Condenser blowdown tests performed in the Waltz Mill Ice Condenser Blowdown Facility, as initiated in 1973 and reported in WCAP-8282, demonstrated that optimized heat transfer performance of the ice baskets was achieved by enlarging the mesh opening size of the perforated metal forming the basket from 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch to 1 inch by 1 inch. This increase in mesh opening size represents the only modification to the basket cylinders. Overall dimensions, material selection and thickness, and percentage open area remain unchanged. Detail changes to the complete assembly included modifying the basket couplings to minimize the localized reduction in diameter within the basket, and increasing the flow area at the flat bottom end of the basket column. This report documents the additional analyses and tests that have been performed to re-qualify the design. The ice baskets, as documented in this report, are analyzed and tested for structural loads which envelop the qualification conditions for the D. C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant