Structural safety of coolant channel components under excessively high pressure tube diametral expansion rate at garter spring location

Structural safety of coolant channel assembly in the event of high diametral expansion of pressure tube in a 220 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor was investigated using axisymmetric and 3-D finite element models. The axisymmetric analyses were performed and stresses were evaluated for pressure tube, girdle wire and calandria tube at different point of time for diametral expansion rates of 0.2%, 0.25% and 0.3% per year of the pressure tube inside diameter. The results of this study indicated that for the case of 0.3% per year of diametral expansion rate (worst case scenario), occurrence of complete circumferential interference of garter spring with calandria tube at the location of maximum expansion would take place much earlier at around 14 years or 4.2% of the total expansion of pressure tube as opposed to its anticipated design life (30 years). This fact was further corroborated by 3-D finite element analysis performed for the actual assembly configuration under actual loadings. The latter analysis revealed that net section yielding of calandria tube occurs in just 1 year after the occurrence of total circumferential interference between calandria tube and garter spring spacer. It has also been observed that the maximum stress intensity in girdle wire does not increase beyond the ultimate tensile strength even when maximum stress intensity in calandria tube reaches its yield strength. These analyses also revealed that the structural as well as functional integrity of pressure tube and the garter spring is not affected as result of this interference.