Predicted wear on the tube outside surface due to foreign object in the secondary side of steam generator

It is necessary to evaluate the effects of foreign objects on steam generator tubes and to use this information to take appropriate safety precautions to prevent nuclear accidents. Foreign objects may include loose parts from the feed water system and items lost by workers during o/h, and may flow into the secondary side of steam generators during operation. A foreign object could damage steam generator tube walls if there is relative motion between the tube and the foreign object. This is especially true for foreign objects that land on the tube sheet because the velocity of cross flow, which creates a contact force between the tube and foreign object, is relatively high there. During steam generator overhauls, foreign objects are detected by non destructive methods such as the visual test and/or the eddy current test. Confirmed foreign objects should be removed for nuclear safety. The Foreign Object Search and Retrieval System (FOSAR) can be used to remove foreign objects from the steam generators with a square tube array. However, the FOSAR cannot be used (or can be used in only a very restricted area, such as the outside of the tube bundle) in the steam generators with a triangular tube array. In order to continue nuclear power plant operations without removing foreign objects, the integrity of the steam generator tube must be verified. This paper introduces a practical method developed to evaluate the effects of foreign objects detected on tube sheets in the secondary sides of steam generators