Determination of rupture frequency for feeders subject to flow accelerated corrosion

Feeder pipe wall thinning due to flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) has been identified as a degradation mechanism that may affect the operating life of outlet feeder pipes. A large number of feeders are expected to require costly repair or replacement over the remaining life of the station if a conservative FAC rate is used in the deterministic structural integrity assessment. The paper presents a preliminary probabilistic framework for determining the rupture frequency of feeders subject to FAC based on commercial probabilistic fracture mechanics code WinPRAISE 2007. The obtained information can be used as inputs for developing risk-informed feeder life management plans. Darlington Unit 2 is selected to demonstrate the proposed method.

► A probabilistic methodology is proposed to evaluate the rupture frequency of feeder pipes due to flow accelerated corrosion. ► A strategy for developing risk-informed feeder life management plans is presented. ► Inspection priority of the feeder is ranked by the calculated rupture frequency. ► Target rupture frequency can be satisfied by properly planning the inspection scheme.