Prediction of pressure tube fretting-wear damage due to fuel vibration

Fretting marks between fuel bundle bearing pads and pressure tubes have been observed at the inlet end of some Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (NGS) and Bruce NGS fuel channels. The excitation mechanisms that lead to fretting are not fully understood. In this paper, the possibility of bearing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear engineering and design 1997-12, Vol.176 (3), p.261-271
Main Authors: Yetisir, M., Fisher, N.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Fuels
Nuclear fuels
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Summary:Fretting marks between fuel bundle bearing pads and pressure tubes have been observed at the inlet end of some Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (NGS) and Bruce NGS fuel channels. The excitation mechanisms that lead to fretting are not fully understood. In this paper, the possibility of bearing pad-to-pressure tube fretting due to turbulence-induced motion of the fuel element is investigated. Numerical simulations indicate that this mechanism by itself is not likely to cause the level of fretting experienced in Darlington and Bruce NGSs.
ISSN:0029-5493
1872-759X
DOI:10.1016/S0029-5493(97)00149-0