Hashemian Maintenance of Process Instrumentation in Nuclear Power Plants H. Hashemian Maintenance of Process Instrumentation in Nuclear Power Plants With 131 Figures H. Hashemian Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation, AMS Cross Park Drive 9111 37923 Knoxville, TN USA hash@ams-corp.com Library of Congress Control Number: 2006926431 ISBN-10 3-540-33703-2 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York ISBN-13 978-3-540-33703-4 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broad- casting, reproduction on microfilm or in other ways, and storage in data banks.
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Typesetting: digital data supplied by author Final processing: PTP-Berlin Protago-TEX-Production GmbH, Berlin (www.com) Cover-Design: deblik, Berlin Printed on acid-free paper 62/3141/Yu – 5 4 3 2 1 0 This book is dedicated to my wonderful daughter, Nikki Hashemian. Hashemian Knoxville, Tennessee USA Preface This book is written for the instrumentation and control engineers, technicians, and managers in nuclear power plants. It focuses on process temperature and pressure sensors and the verification of these sensors’ calibration and response time. It also provides examples of typical problems and solutions with temperature and pressure measurements in nuclear power plants.2 On-Line Monitoring of Process Instruments Calibration .3 Dynamic Testing of Pressure Transmitters and Sensing Lines .4 On-Line Detection of Venturi Fouling .5 Measuring the Vibration of Reactor Internals .6 Detecting Core Flow Anomalies .7 CANDU Reactor Applications .8 In-Situ Response-Time Testing of Temperature Sensors .9 Testing Cables In-Situ.
15 2 Origins of This Book .5 ISA and IEC Standards. 25 3 Maintenance of Nuclear Plant Instrumentation. 27 4 Nuclear Plant Temperature Instrumentation .1 History of RTDs .2 Nuclear-Grade RTDs .3 Nuclear Plant Temperature Measurement Terminology .4 Problems with Nuclear-Grade RTDs .2 Failure of Extension Leads .3 Low Insulation Resistance .5 Wrong Calibration Tables .6 Loose or Bad Connections .7 Large EMF Errors .9 Thinning of Platinum Wire .10 Lead-Wire Imbalance .11 Seeping of Chemicals into Thermowell .12 Cracking of Thermowell .5 Problems with Core-Exit Thermocouples. 48 5 Cross-Calibration Technique .3 Sources of Cross-Calibration Data .1 Dedicated Data Acquisition System .2 Plant Computer Data .4 Detailed Analysis of Cross-Calibration Data .1 Correcting Cross-Calibration Data .5 Presenting Cross-Calibration Results .6 Effect of Corrections on Cross-Calibration Results .7 Automated Software for Cross-Calibration .8 Uncertainty of Cross-Calibration Results .1 Uncertainty with Dedicated Data Acquisition System .2 Uncertainties with Plant Computer Data .9 Validating the Cross-Calibration Technique .10 Uncertainty in Cross-Calibrating Three-Wire RTDs .1 Cross-Calibration Procedure for Three-Wire RTDs .2 Cross-Calibration Validation for Three-Wire RTDs .11 Validation of Dynamic Cross-Calibration .12 Cross-Calibrating Core-Exit Thermocouples .2 New Calibration Table .3 Uncertainty of Recalibration Results .14 NRC Position on RTD Cross-Calibration.
84 6 Response-Time Testing of RTDs and Thermocouples .1 Reasons for Test .3 Analyzing LCSR Data .4 LCSR Validation for RTDs .5 LCSR Validation for Thermocouples .6 Optimizing LCSR Parameters .7 Accuracy of LCSR Results .8 Effect of LCSR Heating Current .9 Effect of Temperature Stratification .10 LCSR Testing at Cold Shutdown .4 Self-Heating Test .3 Self-Heating Error in RTDs .5 Noise Analysis Technique .2 In-Plant Validation .7 Factors Affecting Response Time .1 Ambient Temperature Effect .2 Effect of Fluid Flow Rate .3 Ambient Pressure Effect. 141 7 Nuclear Plant Pressure Transmitters .2 Transmitter Population and Application .3 Nuclear Qualification .1 Qualification Procedure .2 Qualified Life .2 Foxboro/Weed Transmitters .5 Smart Pressure Transmitters .6 Fiber-Optic Pressure Transmitters .7 Wireless Pressure Transmitters. 175 8 Characteristics of Pressure Sensing Lines .1 Design and Installation .2 Sensing Lines for Transmitters Inside Containment .