Accelerated Vibration Test of coolant channel components under simulated flow induced excitation

The present study outlines the accelerated testing procedure of a Grayloc joint assembly for possible loosening of its nut due to flow induced vibration. The concern of the Grayloc nut getting loosened in the absence of a lock nut due to flow induced vibration and the resulting fretting in the feeder pipes in contact due to differential creep in the neighbouring channels has been addressed here. The severity of the test was decided based on actual site measurement under different operating flow conditions and comparison of power spectral density (PSD). The laboratory test results were extrapolated for estimation of life of the component under operating condition using inverse power law approach. The uniqueness of the accelerated test is that the component under test has not been led to failure for assessing its operating life unlike conventional accelerated testing. From the tests and analysis, it was deduced that 80 h of accelerated laboratory testing was equivalent to 5.26 full power years (46,080 h) of the reactor operating life. The test duration was enough to obtain approval from the regulatory body to operate the reactor.