EDF Steam Generators Fleet: In-operation Monitoring of TSP Blockage and Tube Fouling

Abstract

EDF operates 58 Pressurized Water Reactors in France. In the mid 2000‟s some of them have been affected by Steam Generators (SG) Tube Support Plates (TSP) blockage and U-tubes external surface fouling with iron oxides deposits due to corrosion of secondary-side components. These issues have been tackled by a global maintenance strategy of chemical cleanings and a method for in-operation monitoring of fouling and TSP blockage has been developed and is implemented since mid 2009. This monitoring is aimed at giving information for SG maintenance planning as regards non destructive examinations and chemical cleaning. This paper will first remind of the physical reasons of fouling and TSP blockage and identify the resulting stakes regarding safety and availability along with the action levers available to control both phenomena. Then details will be given on how in-operation monitoring of fouling and TSP blockage is carried out, using measurements of Wide Range water Level (WRL) and SG steam pressure during thermally stabilized periods. Information will also be given on how those data are analyzed and shared as well at a local as at a corporate level to participate in the planning of SG inspection and maintenance operations. Finally, possible refinements will be discussed, notably regarding the issue of WRL measurements reliability and the possibility to use the analysis of SG dynamic behavior during power transients to assess the TSP blockage ratio. In terms of „issues requiring discussion‟, the following are operational issues currently being investigated by EDF: 1. SG pressure can have quite large variations during one operating cycle (notably after a plant trip) and from one cycle to the other and generally pressure tends to decrease on a long-term basis. How can such variations be explained? What are the solutions to moderate/stop the pressure loss? 2. On some of the SG-models operated by EDF, hard curative Chemical Cleaning of the U-tubes didn't bring any pressure rise (although NDE showed that the deposit has been removed from the tubes and although such chemical cleaning brought significant pressure rise on other SG- models). How can that be explained? 3. What would be the impact on the SG pressure of a degradation of the performances of the upper internals (primary and secondary moisture separators)? Do models exist to explain/predict such a degradation? Would it be interesting to clean the upper internals? 4. EDF currently has some issues regarding Wide-Range Level measurement reliability (drop after outage, possibly due to invasive maintenance actions on WRL sensors). Do other utilities have the same kind of issue? How can the drops be explained?