Nuclear Engineering and Design 112 (1989) 243-257 North-Holland, Amsterdam

243

SHAFTS OF MAIN COOLANT PUMPS

- FAILURE ANALYSIS AND REMEDIES

R. L O E H B E R G 1, W. U L L R I C H i and K. G A F F A L 2
I Siemens AG-UB KWU, Erlangen, Fed. Rep. Germany 2 KSB, Frankenthal, Fed. Rep. Germany

Received November 1987

The paper describes failure analysis and remedies which were elaborated after the occurance of several failure cases in shafts of main coolant pumps. The improved design of replacement shafts as well as procedures for operational monitoring and in-service inspections are shown.

1. Introduction
T h e reactor coolant p u m p s of a pressurized water reactor circulate the p r i m a r y coolant through the reactor core, the primary coolant pipes a n d the steam generator. Fig. 1 shows a typical design of a reactor coolant p u m p for a 1300 M W pressurized water reactor. Fig. 2 lists the i m p o r t a n t power a n d design data.

Due to the i m p o r t a n c e of the reactor coolant p u m p s for the operation of the plant, the recently found damages to the p u m p shafts of a certain p u m p type are therefore of particular importance. Extensive investigations and d a m a g e analyses have b e e n performed. This work a n d the derived i m p r o v e m e n t measures are the subject of this paper.

cold Horsepowerrating hot

7200 kW 5250 kW 1 450 min nq : 130min

i Bearing shaft
!

BPM Specific speed Torque cold

45 502 Nm

x
Removab!e coupling

Shaftdiameter (Impellerseat) Torsion stress (undisturbed) without motor

171 mm 47 N/ram2 6300 mm 10300 mm 750 mm without motor 63 t lOOt 20 MnMoNi5 5clad or GS18 NiMoCr3 7 clad X42 CrMo14 or X5 CrNi 13 4 G-X5CrNi 13 4

I Pump shaft

Total hight with motor Nozzlediameter

Total weight with motor

I
Material

housing shaft impeller

Fig. 1. Reactor coolant pump for a 1300-MW PWR.

Fig. 2. Typical power and design data.

0 0 2 9 - 5 4 9 3 / 8 9 / $ 0 3 . 5 0 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

244

R. Loehberg et a L / Shafts of main coolant pumps

Plant !(No. of RCPs) Radial bearing Axial bearing Radial bearing Obrigheim Stade BiblisA Neckar~westheim Biblis B Unterweser Grafenrheinreid Grohnde Philippsburg 2 (2) (4) (4) I3) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) Shaft material (a) X42CrMo 14 (a) X42 CrMo 14 (a) X42 CrMo 14 (3x/ X5 CrNi134(lx) X4 CrNiCuNb164 (b) (a) X5CrNi134 (a) X5CrNit34 (a) X5 CrNi 134 (a) X5CrNi134 X5 CrNi 134 (b) (c) X5CrNi134 (a) X5 CrNi 134 (c) 1X22CrNi17 (a) ~X5 CrNi 1_34 (c) ~N! ??4

Bearing shaft 1570 mm

Face

teeth----

Spacer coupling 820 mm

Shaft seal section

~=~

MiJhlh.-K/~rlicd (4) ' (NSSSsupplier)

Radial b Stop se; Key Impeller i Shaft diameter 170 mm I Pump shaft 2185 mm

(3) (41 (4) est-

Fig. 3. Shaft assembly of a reactor coolant p u m p for a 1300-MW PWR.

(b) X5 CrN1134 (4) a: Sha~impellerhub/keys b: Impeller stud/radial pins c: Impeller stud/face teeth Fig. 5. Design types of p u m p shafts use by plants and operating time.

Designtype

2. Design of the pump shaft

The shaft assembly shown in fig. 3 has a water lubricated radial bearing inside the pump and an external oil-lubricated combination r a d i a l / a x i a l bearing. The

shaft seal between the medium and the atmosphere consists of a ,mechanical seal. In order to be able to change this seal as simply as possible, the pump shaft consists of several sections: the pump shaft itself, the bearing shaft and a removable spacer coupling to facilitate seal replacement.

Design (a) Pumpshaft Stop seal: Original design Impeller hub . I Key . / Stop seal: Optimized /design Shaft/ ~lmpeller fit

Design (b)

Design (c)

U
i

--Pumpshaft

Pump shaft

i
, i

Faceteeth ~ ! ~ Impeller\ ~\ ~.~ ; , ,Stopseal i 2"~/Radial pin Sleeve

"~l i I~
il /
/I '~ I1\

Stopseal

~mpe,erstud
;~,
1

.... ;!

il

'

Impeller stud Chrome plated Hub/keys KSB design

" with Nut housing

Nut

Impeller

Impeller stud/radial pin MFA (Andritz) design

Impeller stud/face teeth KSB design

Fig. 4. Impeller a t t a c h m e n t and torque transmission.

R. Loehberg et a L / Shafts of main coolant pumps Fig. 4 shows three designs of the pump shafts with regard to the attachment of the impeller and the transmission of torque. (a) impeller hub/keys (KSB design), (b) impeller stud/radial pins (Andritz design), (c) impeller stud/radial teeth (KSB design). High alloy chromium steels with hard chrome plated surfaces have been used as pump shaft material since 1965. The hard chrome plated surfaces are necessary in order to be able to assemble and disassemble tightly fitting parts on the shaft without galling. This involves the shaft protection sleeves for the bearings and the seals, and in the case of the design which uses the impeller hub/keys, the seating of the impeller on the shaft. Fig. 5 shows the allocation of the different designs and shaft materials to the individual pressurized water reactor plants. In this paper, reference will be made, in connection with the damage that occured only to design (a), i.e. impeller hub/key. Designs (b) and (c) will only be touched upon in a comparative study,

245

Impellerhub

Key

Pumpshaft

"-~--J

Cracktype1 [

Cracktype2
I

Crack ~ ~Crack
Cracks in area of stop seal. 90 C displaced to keyway in direction of rotation. In one case propagated to fracture.

Cracksatthekeyway.Cracks rightandleftonupperendof keyway(lengthupto 45 mrn; depthto 20mrn).Inonecase propagated tofractures.

3. Operating experiences, damage

Fig. 6. Position of the failures, crack types.

The first shaft breaks on reactor coolant pumps were known to have occurred in the USA. This damage on austenitic pump shafts occurred at fillet welds in the impeller seat region. A transferability of the damage mechanism to the reactor coolant pumps used in German power plants is not expected because of the different design of the shafts. 3.1. Failure of the pump shaft in 1985 On May 6, 1985 in the Goesgen Nuclear Power Station there was a reduction in reactor power from 100% to 70%. Two minutes later reactor coolant pump YD 10 tripped off due to high temperature in the axial bearing. Reactor power was automatically reduced to 30% by fast control rod insertion. An analysis of the events provided the following picture: - sudden step increase in motor RPM, lower amperage and longer spindown time (factor of 10) of the motor, - the main steam quantity in the corresponding steam generator dropped to almost zero, - the DNB ratio (safety against film boiling) dropped from 2.0 to 1.6. When the pump was disassembled, a "spiral shaped" shaft fracture was found in the chrome plated seating region of the impeller that originated in a pressure mark at the upper end of the key. Fig. 6 shows this fracture as crack type 1.

3.2. Inspections in other power plants and the initial corrective measures Following the fracture of the pump shaft at Goesgen in 1985, sampling investigations were performed on similar pumps in other nuclear power plants during the planned inspections. Fig. 7 provides an overview of the status until 1987 and the results of the inspections as well as the corrective measures taken. At Grafenrheinfeld, for example, in the course of the 6/86 inspection, the cracks in the upper end of the key were ground out and the chrome plating in the vicinity of the keys was removed. Further modifications were performed on the stop seals which are shrunk on to the shafts. The stop seals were removed and new ones with a small, defined axial gap to the impeller hub (0.5 mm) were installed. The shrink fit was increased from 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm. 3.3 Fracture of a pump shaft in 1986 On December 4, 1986 the pump shaft in reactor coolant pump YD 40 of the Grafenrheinfeld Nuclear Power Station fractured. Preceding the failure was an increase in the shaft orbit measurements (fig. 8). There was a reduction in the pump motor amperage and an increase in the temperature of the axial bearing. This

246 Plant (No. of RCP's) G6sgen(3)

R. Loehberg et a L / Shafts of main coolant pumps

Inspection Operating Result, measures hours 6/85 47 000 1 pump shaft fractured at upper keyway radius (new pump shaft) 2 pump shafts: indications on upper keyway radius (ground out)

6/87

15 OOO Center bore added 3 pump shafts with central bores, as installed UT result: no indication 37 000 4 000 4 pump shafts: indications on upper keyway radius (1 pump shaft new, 3 shafts ground out) 1 pump shaft fractured at impeller hub end 3 pump shafts: indications on impeller hub end (1 pump shaft new, 3 shafts ground out) 2 pump shafts inspected: no indications 2 pump shafts replaced (inspection later) 2 pump shafts: indications on upper keyway radius (ground out) 2 pump shafts: no indications 4 pump shafts: indications on upper keyway radius (ground out) 3 pump shafts inspected: no indications 2 pump shafts (X42 CrMo 14)inspected: no indications 1 pump shaft (X42 CrMo 14)inspected: no indication 1 pump shaft (1,4313): indications on upper keyway radius (ground out) 2 pump shafts: indications on impeller hub end (areanot respectedin 10/86), ground out, no indications 2 pump shafts inspected: no indications 2 pump shafts with indications at upper keyway at only 1 key 2 pump shafts inspected: no indications 1 pump shaft inspected: no indication 4 pump shafts replaced. Visual: indications on all 4 (detailed inspection later) 2 pump shafts inspected: no indications

Grafenrheinfeld (4)

7/86 12/86

7/87

4 000

Biblis B (4)

6/86

64 000

Unterweser(4) Neckarwestheim (3) Biblis A (4)

8/86 9/86 10/86

64000 74 000 82000 47000 47000

5/87

5 000

MOIheimK~irlich(4) Stade (4) Grohnde(4) Obrigheim(2) Philippsburg (4)

11/86

4000

3/87 5/87 6/87 6/87

116 000 22 000 140000

22 000 !4 pump shafts inspected: no indications Fig. 7. Inspections of pump shafts.

indicated a separation of the p u m p shaft from the impeller. Since the p u m p m o t o r initially c o n t i n u e d to run, there was no rod insertion. W h e n the D N B limit value became too low, the reactor protection system initiated a reactor trip. W h e n the p u m p was disassembled, the fracture of the shaft was not as expected (based on the failure at Goesgen a n d the preliminary inspection results) on the upper keyway, but rather at the end of the impeller hub. Fig. 6 shows this fracture as crack type 2.

3.4. Proof of the integrity of the pressure boundary during shaft fracture
The shaft fractures which have occurred have not caused any damage to the pressure c o n t a i n i n g p u m p housing. The design of the p u m p is such that d u r i n g a fracture of the p u m p shaft there can be n o challenge to the pressure boundary. As is shown in fig. 9, the impeller is guided on the upper end by the housing a n d on the lower end by the suction nozzle, so that the rotation

R. Loehberg et aL / Shafts of main coolant pumps

247

!~m

t1

1
600 400 200
600 400 200 !

Shaftorbit measurement pumpYD40 x-direction -Housing Shaftorbit measurement pumpYD40 y-direction

Shaftorbit measurement pumpYDlO x,y-direction (comparison)

- Support plane

o
25. 26 ----

L L tli
27. 28. 29. 30. NOV.86. . . . ~!-"
i

I
1. 2 3. Dec 86 4.

Suppor

)oft plane

Fig. 8. Change in shaft orbit during fracture of pump shaft YD 40.

Fig. 9. Guide of impeller.

Fig. 10. Scanning electron microscope photos of chromium layer.

248

R. Loehberg et al. / Shafts of main coolant pump,s (1) lm~estigations of (vpe 1 cracks
The cracks run primarily in the circumferential direction. Except for the shaft fracture described in section 3.1, these cracks attain lengths up to 45 m m a n d depths up to a b o u t 20 mm. such cracks have been found on the loaded and unloaded side of the key radius. The crack start in each case is on the shaft surface, a b o u t 5 10 m m near the keyway. Most of the cracks end before or at the edge of the keyway. The crack length is characteristic of the effects of c o m b i n e d stress (bending, torsion, residual stresses, thermal stresses). As shown in fig. 11, the cracks involved are fatigue cracks with the typical characteristics such as striations a n d crack arrest lines. The oxidation up to the tip of the crack a n d the crack arrest lines point to the fact that the cracks originated long before they were detected a n d have grown gradually and in stages.

of the impeller without tilting is assured. A fracture of the p u m p shaft does not present any safety-related problem.

3.5. Investigation results from the pump shafts

According to the designs in use, a differentiation can be made between the two crack types (fig. 6). Cracks of type 1 occur at the u p p e r end of the keyway. In type 2 the cracks are summarized which lie above the impeller hub in the vicinity of the stop seal. In the case of all cracks, the chrome layer in the fracture location exhibits a crack network with a " m e s h size" of a b o u t 0.2 to 0.4 m m (fig 10). The cracks in the base metal are continuations of the cracks in the chrome layer. During fabrication the chrome layer is free of cracks. At several compressive or friction wearpoints close-meshed crack networks have been observed in the chrome layer. Here, however, no crack starts into the base metal have been found.

(2) Investigations of type 2 cracks

This crack type was investigated closely on the shaft of p u m p Y D 40 of the G r a f e n r h e i n f e l d plant. Fig. 12

b
1

'
"

>

d
Fig. 11. Cracks in region of keyway (crack type 1).

R. Loehberg et aL / Shafts of main coolant pumps

249

Fig. 12. Cracks in region of stop seal (crack type 2). shows the findings from metallography and fractography. The crack runs primarily perpendicular to the shaft axis. The crack start is in the chrome plated surface about 90 displaced in the rotational direction to the keyway. The ductile final fracture involved only about 5% of the entire fracture surface. N o indications have been found of deviations in the quality of the base material. Also in the case of this fracture it is a fatigue fracture with fatigue striations. On the surface there are 5 crack arrest lines. In comparison to crack type 1, this was a rapid crack propagation.

Stress combination Torsional stress eAxialstress Bending stress

Stress combination Torsional stress Axial stress e Bending stress

0
Stress combination Torsional stress Axial stress Bending stress Thermal stress

4. Failure analysis
4.1. Loadings The hydraulic forces and moments which act on the impeller are shown in fig. 13. For the determination of the operational strength, the loadings occurring during full power-cold operation have been conservatively considered. Furthermore, the thermal loadings on the shaft

Hydraulic
axial thrust- a = bending moment radial thrust Torque

~.A~/
~ a,~-~ ~ ~ t "~L~j~f ~ V ~'~

/~

~,~

Fig. 13. Hydraulic forces and moments (on impeller).

250

R. Loehberg et aL / Shafts of main coolant pumps

must be considered. Specifically, there are the following loadings:

(1) Axial thrust

The downward axial thrust results from the pressure differentials and the pulses from the flow medium between the impeller inlet and the outlet. Under operating conditions the downward hydraulic thrust on the pump shaft is lower than the upward force from the product of shaft cross-sectional area and system pressure. The asymmetric discharge from the pump housing through only one pressure nozzle causes a differing pressure distribution in the spaces around the impeller. Therefore, the downward axial thrust is not applied exactly centrally. This means that the resulting axial thrust effects a dynamic bending moment on the shaft.

Finite Element program. For the steady-state load case, cold water operation was used and for the transient load case hot water operation was used. For the stresses, two sections of the pump shaft were considered in particular. Also, the cracks had occurred in these considered sections: Section I = end of keyway (crack type 1), Section II = end of impeller hub (crack type 2).

(2) Normal operation

The detailed stress distribution in Section I can be seen in fig. 14. Crack initiation cannot be explained from this stress distribution since the crack start point lies in the compressive stress region. In addition, cracks have been found in a similar scope on the unloaded keyway side. The additional increase in the stress components in the Z-direction from the steady-state temperature loading (hot operation with flowing seal injection water or a long loss of seal injection flow) is in the shaft base metal under the chrome layer or in the compressive region or at only a low tensile load < 10 N / m m 2 ; i.e., also these loadings do not cause crack

(2) Radial thrust

The radial thrust results from the unsymmetrical pressure distribution on the circumference of the impeller. It consists of the spatial components which act as a dynamic bending moment on the shaft, and of components which rotate with the shaft, which lead to a static bending moment on the shaft. The lever arm with which the radial thrust acts on the pump shaft, is the distance from the middle of the impeller inlet to the waterlubricated radial bearing.

initiation.
(3) Loss of seal injection, seal injection flow restoration
During loss of seal injection, and even more so during seal water reverse flow, transient thermal stresses occur which lead to high tensile stresses in the keyway region. Fig. 15 shows the temperature distribution in the junction region s h a f t / i m p e l l e r during various operating conditions. During normal hot operation with seal injection, the temperature distribution in the impeller hub and shaft shows the typical "bell shape" of the iso-

(3) Torque
The motor torque acts statically with a dynamic component of a few percent which is determined from operating measurements and is taken into account in the stress calculations.

(4) Thermal loadings

The seal injection water system keeps the pump shaft during steady state operation in the vicinity of the seals and the water-lubricated bearing at an operating temperature of about 50C. The impeller itself is exposed to an operating temperature of 2 9 0 C in the area of the vanes. Thermal stresses therefore occur on the pump shaft surface due to the different thermal expansion coefficients between the chrome layer and the base metal. In addition to these steady-state thermal loadings, there are also transient stress processes to be considered, which result from the operational events "Loss of seal injection" and "Seal injection flow restoration".

Loaoeo Keyway flank 729 101 732

ress com~ ~nents 7 N/ram z

4.2. Loadings and explanation of failure

38.8 668 / " CTens~le ]

(1) Calculation method

The stresses in the pump shaft were calculated with the aid of different computer programs including a 3-D

rangej

Fig. 14. Stress distribution at upper end of keyway.

R. Loehberg et aL / Shafts of main coolant pumps

251

Impellerhub

Stopseal
,

]
244 218 166 114 62,3

I Keyway

Shaft

T [C]

Normaloperationwith seal injection

T[*C] 275 253 209165 121 98,5 Normaloperationwithout seal injection

T[C] 271 245 193 141 88,7 Transientoperatingconditionwith seal injection flow reversalafter a certain period Oftime

Fig. 15. Temperature distribution in shaft-impeller hub region.

therms. It is caused by the strong cooling effect of the seal injection water (inlet temperature appx. 40C), which cools the impeller hub and the shaft in this region. During a sufficiently long loss of seal injection the middle of the bell curve wanders from the outlet

point of the seal injection water on the end of the housing into the region of the mixing chamber. After restoration of the flow of the seal injection water, the impeller hub is rapidly cooled by the intensive cooling in the throttling gap. The shaft, on the

Stress intensity N/mm2

()
(~ (~ (~)

Keywayradiuschrome plating Keywayradius base metal

Impellerhub plane chrome plating Impellerhub plane base metal

=cation I ~

:atic

O l

' 8'o 1; 0 240 320 400 480 560 s ~c ~ Time after restoration of seal injection

II

"*

137

Fig. 16. Stresses in chrome layer and shaft during restoration of seal injection (example for a certain shaft geometry).

252

R. Loehberg et al. / Shafts of main coolant pumps 4. 3. Fracture mechanics

other hand, is cooled more slowly. As a function of time after seal water flow restoration differing high stresses occur in the chrome layer and in the surface region of the shaft base metal. The approximately highest transient stresses occur 180 s after seal injection flow restoration. The temperature differences in the radial direction generate compressive stresses in the internal of the shaft and tensile stresses on the surface. The shafts in this region are covered with a chrome layer appx. 150 ffm thick. Its expansion coefficient and modulus of elasticity are clearly lower than those of the base metal. High tensile stresses occur in the chrome layer due to the high operating temperature in the event of a long loss of seal injection and the intensive cooling during reversal of seal injection flow. Another consequence of the strong cooling is the growth of the assembly rabbet gap between the impeller hub and the shaft, so that a lesser shrink fit results. In addition to the radial compressive stresses, stresses result from the axial deformation restriction from the rubbing between the hub and the shaft during the cooling of the impeller hub. All these loadings generate stresses in the chrome layer and in the shaft base metal. Their course as a function of time after restoration of seal injection flow for a certain shaft geometry is shown in fig. 16.
(4) Stress superpositions The superposition of the stress components from all types of loadings was performed for Sections I and II. At maximum tensile stresses in the chrome layer (depending on shaft geometry) of about 500 N / m m 2 and in the base metal up to about 200 N / m m 2 the transient stresses have a significant portion. At the maximum dynamically acting stresses from the steadystate cold water operation with high numbers of cycles, there are amplitudes of a maximum of _+17.5 N / m m 2 at R = 0.93. In section II " e n d of the impeller huh" the stresses are lower than at the end of the keyway. This applies both to the transient thermal stresses (fig. 16) as well as to the superimposed maximum stresses. Of course at this location the effects of the shrink fit stresses from the stop seal must be taken into account. From this it can be derived that a crack initiation in the chrome layer at the end of the keyway and at the end of the hub is possible. In order to determine the further crack propagation into the base metal, additional fracture mechanics calculations are necessary for the individual shafts.

A fracture mechanics analysis of the shaft fractures assumes that the following properties and effects are known: - Material characteristic values for the prevailing loading. - The collective loadings of the component resulting from all operating conditions and the resulting stresses. In this process, the height of the average stress and the quotient of the alternating stresses (minimum stress divided by maximum value) (stress ratio R) and the time-related stress variations must be included. - The effect of the water chemistry on the crack initiation and crack propagation, also in connection with the possibly present surface layer on the material. With regard to the specific stresses in the RCP shaft resulting from static and dynamic, high and low-cycle loadings, the material properties were measured. They determine the operational strength of the shafts: the material fatigue behaviour during alternating bending loading, - the crack propagation. The most significant influence factors for the fatigue strength have been quantified (fig. 17) from the fatigue experiments on shaft material 1.4313 at KSB, at Fraunhofer Institute in Darmstadt (LFB), at Allianz ( A Z T Ismaning), and at S i e m e n s / U B K W U . In ad-

Stress amplitude

N/ram 2

IO00

......

M Cr R q 1:

~
tO0
~

+
+

P
M = Medium Cr - Chrome plating R = Stress ratio (Tu 10 10 4 1;5 1;6 10 7 108

+ + 0,6 + + 0,7 +

_l

109

Load cycles

Fig. 17. Trend curve of fatigue strength of shaft materials.

R. Loehberg et al. / Shafts of main coolant pumps

dition to the negative effects of the hard chrome plating and of the medium, primarily the high stress ratio R leads to a severe reduction of the fatigue strength at the target number of cycles of 101. KWU also performed the corresponding investigations for the material X42CrMo14. No significant differences were found between the two materials. It can be deduced from the inspection results (fig. 7) that crack type 1 (crack at end of keyway) in the individual shafts occurred after very different operating times. When an initial crack depth corresponding to the influence zone of the chrome plating is assumed in the base metal (a = 0.15 mm), then the crack propagation to the order of magnitude in the millimeter range can be explained from the calculated stresses on the surfaces and the measured crack propagation rates with consideration of the scattering of the measured data points. Corresponding crack propagation estimates have already been performed for certain shafts.

253

5. Remedial actions

Based on the fracture appearances and the fracture analysis, in a second step, replacement shafts with certain improvements in the areas of the seating of the impeller have been fabricated for the directly involved

plants. Fig. 18 shows an overview of these basic improvements. In particular they are: (1) Stop seal The stop seal was originally shrunk on to a chrome plated portion of the shaft. In order to reduce the effects of the shrink fit in the area of the shaft surface also in connection with the chrome plating, the shaft diameter in the seating area was increased and was left without chrome plating. The shrink fit was designed for 0.3 mm. Another change in the stop seal is an improvement in the temperature conduction of the shaft in the seating area. The stop seal was lengthened downward so that it reaches into the corresponding cylindrical recess in the impeller hub and shields the keyway. The close gap between the impeller hub and the stop seal prevents interchange flow. (2) Optimization of the key length Starting out from the fact that the typical failures have occurred at the keyway end in connection with the chrome plated surfaces, calculations were initiated for the optimization of the key. The result is a shorter key. The end of the key following this optimization is below the upper chrome plated seating of the impeller hub. It now lies not only in the non-chrome-plated region, the loadings resulting from the alternating bending stresses and the torque transmission have become more favourable. Fig. 19 shows the favourable distribution of the

j - -

chrome plated 1 Stop seal Extended into impeller Shaft increased, not chrome plated Shrink fit 0,3 mm 2 Optimized key length Key shortened Key end in not chrome plated area of impeller hub 3 Optimized chrome plating

4 Sealed surface prior to chrome plating by rolling

5 Center bore for UT

Fig. 18. Improvement in seating area of impeller.

254

R. Loehberg et al. / Shafts of main coolant pumps

Stress in N/ram 2 turned and chrome plated
- -

loads over the length in question (contact pressure between the keyway and the key). At the upper end of the key the contact pressure is definitely lower. In the lower shaft section the increase is favourable in an area of the lowest alternating bending stresses.

---400 1
!

axial tangentiat

(3) Optimization of the chrome plating

The chrome plating is designed for an optimized plating thickness. The transition between the chrome plated and unplated sections occurs within the region of the hub, in order to avoid pressing the edge of the hub on the chrome plating layer. The shortening of the key eliminated an interruption of the chrome plating layer (by the keyway) at the upper fit. In the lower fit, the shaft surface was not chrome plated in the region of the keyway.

-6004

, 200

, 400

, --] 600 roiled and chrome plated

200t
41
6 0 04 + 201"~ -200~
,

..
, 400 " , 600

---

axiat tangential

200

rolled without chrome plating axial tangential

(4) Rolling
In order to reduce the R-ratio in the surface region, residual compressive stresses were generated by rolling. The most favourable rolling parameters were first determined on a test shaft with the aid of internal stress measurements. Fig. 20 shows the significant test results. It can be seen that compressive residual stresses remain also under the chrome layer. In the transition region between the rolled and un-rolled sections, gradually decreasing compressive forces were applied. This avoids tensile residual stresses close to the surface in the transition area.

400~\....~ 6 0 0 ~

,"
,

---

200 400 600 Depth under the surface in pm

Fig. 20. Depth distribution of residual stresses in various sections of test shaft.

(5) Center bore for ultrasonic inspection

Use of ultrasonic inspection techniques on the as-installed condition of the top face of the pump shaft provides only a limited inspection sensitivity in the shaft areas which are of interest (impeller seating and keyway) because of the geometry. In order to obtain an improved test sensitivity with the use of the ultrasonic technique, the shafts were provided with a center bore. The inspection was then performed with specially developed test probes.

Stress along length of key p I 3500 N/mm 3000 - g! II IL.~ 2500 2000 p~J 1500 - ] ' ~ ' - 1000 500 o

-----

Original design Shortened key

I I

r--J

r-

/
V
\ /)

(6) Comprehensive evaluation of the optimized shaft design

The above listed corrective measures for eliminating the fractures should result in a trouble-free operation of the reactor coolant pump shafts. Operational monitoring and periodic inspections should further aid in this goal.

"1
--'1 I

I
'

r'~J

I--'--i

6. Operational monitoring
Clearance in impeller hub

Impeller side

Key shortened

.I

Fig. 19. Distribution of stresses along key (surface compression keyway/key).

During the operation of the pumps the seal injection and seal leakage (flow and temperature) as well as the bearing temperature of the oil-lubricated axial-radial bearing are monitored. In addition, all reactor coolant pumps in P W R plants are equipped with instrumentation for monitoring shaft orbits. Two eddy-current

R. Loehberg et aL / Shafts of main coolant pumps

probes are mounted at 90 to each other in the region of the removable shaft coupling. They measure the relative motion of the outer cylinder surface of the spacer coupling with respect to the housing. Usually the Smax value is monitored; in some cases also the individual signals in the X and Y directions. A pre-alarm and set-point alarm are generated. Typical values for the pre-alarm and pump shutdown are, for example, an increase in the Sm~ value to 1.5 or 2 x the values observed during normal operation. In the event of a pre-alarm, additional manual analyses are performed. When the set point alarm is attained, the pump is shut down. The supplementary manual analyses usually include the preparation of frequency spectrums. In order to reduce the manual activities, some equipment is used to provide automatic spectrum comparisons, in order to facilitate a frequency-selective evaluation of the shaft orbit signals and to generate additional earlywarning systems. In newer PWR plants the signals from the shaft orbit measurements can be included in the vibration monitoring system (Loose Parts Monitoring System) and are processed there.

255

7. In-service inspections
Fig. 7 shows that in the course of the refueling operations, pump shafts are inspected in some plants. At present this is performed through the disassembly of the pump shaft. Surface crack inspections involve MP inspections, the eddy current process and shop and field metallography with replication techniques. The plan is to perform these inspections in the future with the

pump shafts still installed inside the pumps using ultrasonic techniques. The non-destructive ultrasonic inspection of the shafts in the assembled conditions is possible: Ultrasonic signals can be introduced either through the end face of the pump shaft (motor side) or through the special center bore machined just for this purpose. (1) Ultrasonic examination from the face end The shaft surface provided for the coupling has a ring with typical dimensions of OD = 70 mm and ID = 40 mm. Commercial test heads, because of the unavoidably large bundle divergence at the long sonic paths, have a low sensitivity and resolution (fig. 21). They can be expected to indicate evidence of crack depths greater than 30% of the shaft diameter, with the circumferential position and the length not being exactly measurable. Furthermore, the test suffers from the difficult-to-interprete signals due to the geometry and the multiple signals generated by the wave transformation in the stepped shape. (2) Ultrasonic inspection of the shaft face surface with focused beam transducer When the entire shaft face surface is used as aperture, a focused beam transducer (circular-array ultrasonic unit) can attain a significant improvement in resolution and in the suppression of false signals: the detectable crack depth corresponds to a 3 mm deep, 5 mm long sawcut; the peripheral resolution is about 10 . Detections of inclined cracks and cracks on edges remain as problems: in order to be able to detect such cracks the focusing may not be hard, in order not to obtain a full reflection already on the shaft shoulders. The sawcut characteristic signal and angel dynamics (fig. 22) correspond to focusing that produces a corn-

Process used until now

UT test head MB2SN

Further developed process with improved focusing and angle beam

N
Focus beamtransducer Fig. 21. The principle of sonic fields.

256

R. Loehberg et aL / Shafts of main coolant pumps

T:
-,o-

Eh

Characteristic curve for keyway (saw cut) (sonic wave length s = 1570 turn)

/
/

I I d_B24 //t ='5ram

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R:8mm

I t

0-]

~ R=15mm

Primary max

e,wa,
!R=42mm J~Adjacent max

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I I t=Smm!!t=,mr
190

360 (Saw cut) R = Keyway radius t = Keyway depth

t_to_,so,ovo,
/ I I

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I

.
I

5 --I~

10 15 rnm 20 Keyway depth (saw cut)

Fig. 22. Test sensitivity and resolution of UT focused beam transducer. plete reflection from a 14 m m crack depth. The examination is simple and can be performed accurately. The sensitivity in the keyway region can be considered to be adequate.
(3) Ultrasonic examination using center bore

RCPtest block

Angle dynamic Eh 6,5 0 dB 0,3 t,O

(sawcut) Keywaydepths in mm 8,0 4,0 6,5

o,t
"Z"

The sensitivity of the test can be improved with the use of a center bore - particularly at steps in the shaft. A reliable test technique must be insensitive to surface scratches. It must evaluate crack indications and must differentiate them from false indications. With the use of low-frequency ultrasonic waves with a suitable focusing even the smallest incipient cracks (0.1 m m deep notch) can be reliably detected in the shaft geometry and can be evaluated (fig. 23). A corresponding InService Inspection through a center bore was performed, for example, in June 1987 at Goesgen.

8. Comparison to shafts with axial power transmission

SectionA-A R=13 t=8 R= 6,5 f-"/'~7"~,~ ~,t = 0,1

Detail "Z" Sawcut O.t mm deep/2.Omrn wide

1

R= 3,25 " ~ t =6,5 ~'2~

t = 0,3

t ~1
R = Keyway radius t = Keyway tJepth nR L~ 4 I W

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au

Fig. 23. Test sensitivity and resolution of UT test head (center bore test).

Fractures in the region of the connection between shaft and impeller, as described in this paper, have so far occurred only in cases of shafts with impellers fastened with keys to impeller hub (type (a)). Design type (b) (impeller s t u d / r a d i a l pins) and (c) (impeller s t u d / f a c e teeth) with power transmission at the face, have the following advantages: - Pre-loaded and therefore play-free attachment of the impeller by means of face t e e t h / s t u d or radial pins/stud. - Favourable thermal conditions in the power transmission area. The cooling of the shaft occurs on the entire length.

R. Loehberg et al. / Shafts of main coolant purnps

257

Insensitivity to temperature gradients (no gap changes, only changes in preload). Larger shaft diameter and smaller impeller overhang. Compressive pre-loads in the immediate power transmission area, so that alternating bending stresses do not reach into the tensile stress region. No chrome plating in the immediate power transmission area (radial pins or face teeth).

For these reasons the initiation of cracks in the region of the connection between shaft and impeller is not expected in these designs. Pump shafts of design type (b) have already attained operating times of 74000 hours (Neckarwestheim). At Borssele the impeller attachment is per design type (c) and has been in use already for 107 000 hours.