Research And Analysis Of Novel Main Pipe Restraint In Nuclear Power Plant

When designing nuclear power plant, designers must consider the postulated piping accidents. Avoiding nuclear power plants’ essential facility, system and neighbouring civil work’s irretrievable damage by fracted pipe whipping, pipe whipping restraint is necessary. Due to long term monopoly of nuclear power plant’s construction market by western developed countries, pipe whippin g restraints in China mainly relay on importing. So developing novel pipe whipping restraints is meaningful for Chinese independent construction nuclear power plant, ensuring the safety of nuclear power plant and reducing the construction cost.Cenospheres-reinforced 1199 Al-matrix composite foam is a kind of material which has high strength and strong absorption capabilities. Foam filler with it has stronger carrying and absorption capabilities, is an ideal structure for pipe whipping restraint of main pipe in nuclear power plant. Besides, cell rubber fender is a hollow rubber cylinder which has good absorption capabilities due to its drum deformation while compressing. Therefore, hollow rubber cylinder is a potential pipe whipping restraint of main pipe. In this paper, optimization design and analysis of main pipe novel whipping restraint is done using simplified analysis and numerical simulation. This paper mainly includes:(1) Foam filler and hollow rubber cylinder finite element models are established based on general finite element analysis code ABAQUS. Axial compression experiment is simulated using these models. The reliability of finite element models are further verified though comparison with experiment results and theoretical results.(2) Energy absorption efficiency of foam filler is researched by comparison with radius-thickness ratio, cross-section shape, material of tube and rate of loading. By the result of study, optimum parameter of pipe whipping restraint is concluded.(3) Research the relationship between nominal strain stress curve and thick-radium ratio, thick-height ratio. Besides, double hollow rubber cylinder and higher hardness is adopted to promote carrying capability. The results show that hollow rubber cylinder is inadaptable for pipe whipping restraint due to its low carrying capability.(4) Propose the design process for foam filler pipe whipping restraint by simplifying pipe-restraint system. Then compare the anti-whip performance of foam filler that already designed and U bolt, rigid pipe whipping restraint by numerical simulation method under certain conditions. The numerical simulation results show that foam filler pipe whipping restraint can effectively reduce maximum strike force and the deformation of pipe.