Integrity Assessment of CANDU Calandria Tube Rolled Joint for Extended Life
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Abstract
CANDU Calandria tubes are joined to the calandria-tube sheet (CTS) by roller expanded joints. The calandria tube rolled joint (CTRJ) is a sandwich-type of joint in which the calandria tube is compressed between a stainless-steel insert and the CTS. The CTRJ may experience stress relaxation during normal plant operation and potentially reduce the required pullout strength and degrade the structural integrity.
To support life extensions beyond the design life, it is required to assess the CTRJ integrity and pull- out strength up to a target extended life. This paper discusses an analytical approach using a Finite Element (FE) simulation to assess CTRJ pullout strength for the extended life of say 300 Thousand Effective Full Power hours (kEFPH) in a typical CANDU plant.