Failure probability evaluation for steam generator tubes with wall-thinning

Yamaguchi, Yoshihito ; Mano, Akihiro ; Li, Y. 

The steam generator (SG) is an important component of a pressurized water reactor. In addition, local wall-thinning has been reported in SG tubes. The burst differential pressure, considering both the internal and external pressures from the primary and secondary coolant systems, should be predicted for the failure probability evaluation or structural integrity assessment of SG tubes. In this study, based on the results of burst tests performed in Japan and the United States, we improved the existing burst pressure estimation method for SG tubes with wall-thinning. In addition, as an example of the utilization of the improved burst pressure estimation method, the conditional failure probabilities for SG tubes with local wall-thinning, which is necessary for probabilistic risk assessment and risk-informed decision making, are calculated considering the dimensions of the wall-thinning.