"Final report for research project sponsored by Northeast Utilities Service Company, Yankee Atomic Electric Co. under the MIT Energy Laboratory Electric Utility Program."

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 2003. / Thesis supervisor: Neil E. Todreas. Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-121). Also available online.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

This thesis presents a computational study to examine lateral impact behavior of pressurized pipelines and to determine influence of internal pressure on the impact behaviors of pipelines. More than 300 numerical simulations were carried out on mild steel pipe models with different internal pressure levels and were struck at the mid-span and at the one quarter span positions. The computational results for the first time systematically revealed the effects of internal pressure, impact position, and outside diameter on the lateral impact behavior of the pipeline models. It inspects effects of important parameters such as the outside diameter and internal pressure. Quartic polynomial functions are applied to formulate the maximum crushing force (F), permanent displacement (W), and absorbed energy (E) of the pressurized pipelines during the impact problem. Response surfaces are plotted based on the generated quartic polynomial functions and the quality (accuracy) of those functions are verified through several techniques.

To understand the behavior and performance of a new 100 kW pilot scale pressurized oxy-coal reactor, radiation measurements of the flame have been made using a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. From these radiation measurements, gas temperatures were obtained using integrated spectral infrared (ISIR) emission from the CO2 and water vapor of the combustion product gases. Radiative emission from the product gases in the reactor were collected through a quartz window 1.524 m downstream of the burner. An optical probe focused culminated emission from the combustion chamber into a silica fiber which transported the radiative signal to the spectrometer. The method produced both wall and gas temperatures as well as total integrated intensity. Values for wall temperature ranged from 1150 to 1450K and gas temperatures ranged from 1150 to 1680K. The wall and gas temperature measurement trends were consistent with expected trends with periods of increasing and decreasing fuel flow rates. Temperatures could not be verified by independent measurements, but the absolute uncertainty of the gas temperature was estimated to be +100 and -50 K in the worst case, with the largest source of uncertainty being due to window fouling. These temperature and integrated intensity values were compared to measurements taken using thermocouple and radiometers at the same axial location on the reactor.

A finite element model of a fracture test specimen is developed using the STAGS computer code (STructural Analysis of General Shells). The test specimen was an internally pressurized, aluminum cylindrical shell reinforced with two externally bonded aluminum tear straps around its circumference. The shell contained an initial, axial through-crack centered between the straps. The crack propagated slowly in the axial direction as the pressure increased above a certain value until a maximum pressure was attained, and then the crack propagated dynamically. The tear straps sufficiently toughened the shell such that the dynamic crack path bifurcated near the edges of the straps. The bifurcated crack branches ran circumferentially, parallel to the straps causing the shell wall to flap open. The STAGS analysis for the static equilibrium configurations of the fractured shell include geometric nonlinearity and elastic-plastic material behavior. The crack tip opening angle (CTOA) is used in the criterion for ductile crack growth, and the critical value of the CTOA is determined by correlating the STAGS predictions of the stable portion of the crack growth curve (internal pressure versus half crack length) to the test. With the employment of a new STAGS algorithm, the complete axial crack growth curve, including both the stable and unstable portions, through the tear strap is obtained. The complete axial crack growth curve indicates that crack growth through the strap is unlikely. STAGS models with long cracks which bifurcate at various half crack lengths are developed to assess the location of crack bifurcation. Three different stress based crack turning criteria are investigated from the axial crack growth results as a second method for assessing a location of bifurcation. The bifurcation analyses and stress based turning criteria corroborate the experimentally measured bifurcation point. A parametric study is then conducted to determine the influence of tear strap thickness and width on the location of crack bifurcation. / Master of Science

Counter Current Flow Limitation (CCFL) was observed in the pressurizer surge line of the Oregon State University APEX facility during test NRC-10. This test simulated a one-inch diameter cold leg break with a failure of three of four of the fourth-stage Automatic Depressurization System (ADS) valves. The result was a high vapor flow rate through ADS 1-3, that caused CCFL in the pressurizer surge line and liquid holdup in the pressurizer. Because this liquid was not available for core cooling, further study of the passive safety systems in the AP600 under Mode 5 Cold Shutdown conditions was deemed necessary. An analysis of the AP600 geometry and the existing CCFL database determined that Kutateladze scaling is appropriate for the APEX and AP600 surge lines. The Kutateladze CCFL correlation was used to assess CCFL in the APEX and AP600 pressurizer surge lines under Mode 5 Cold Shutdown conditions. The results indicate that CCFL would be expected in the pressurizer surge lines at low pressures and decay powers prior to ADS 4 actuation. Test NRC-35 examined CCFL and provided data to benchmark NRC's thermal hydraulic analysis codes. This thesis presents the results of test NRC-35 and the supporting CCFL calculations. / Graduation date: 1999