Analysis and Treatment of Drain Pipe Through-wall Leak in Nuclear Power Plants

Aiming at the phenomena of drain pipe through-wall leak and valve part erosion in nuclear power plants, the main cause of failure was confirmed to be cavitation taking place behind valves by analyzing the influence of flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) and cavitation on water pipes. On the base of system functions consistent with design criteria, cavitation could be effectively avoided by adjusting the opening of valves and redistributing pressure drop inside pipes. Some advice had been given to solve the problem of erosion in drain pipes.