Determination of stresses caused by fluctuation of acoustic load in the steam dryers of a BWR

The extended power up-rate (EPU) in a nuclear power plant cause various problems in BWR components also in the steam system. This due to increased steam flow generated in the reactor and is conveyed to the turbine by the four main steam lines (MSL). One of the most serious problems is the generation of acoustic pressure loads in the metal structure of the steam dryer which eventually leads to fatigue failure and even the appearance of cracks, and in turn it causes loose parts that are entrained by the steam and transported in the MSL. This problem is due to the fluctuation of load acoustics caused by the union of the safety or relief valves (SRV) with the MSL, spreading through these to reach the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) where the effect of resonance of the acoustic wave is amplified and impacts directly in the supporting structure of the steam dryer, skirt and the panels where the mixture liquid-steam is dried, by centrifugation effect and runoff of liquid water. Efforts in the steam dryer operating conditions of EPU for two cases will be analyzed in this work, the first is before the installation of Acoustic Side Branch (ASB), and in the second case we consider the installation of said ASB in the standpipes of SRV. The analysis was performed with numerical experiments on a platform for computational fluid dynamics with virtual geometries previously designed based on the actual components of the reactor and steam system. The model to study is delimited by the top of the RPV, the steam dryer and a section of each of the four MSL with ten standpipes of SRV. With the obtained data and considering the mechanical-structural properties of the steam dryer material, we can evaluate the mechanical resistance to impacts by acoustic pressure load and its possible deformation or cracking. (Author)