Publication InformationFarragher, TP, Scully, S, O Dowd, NP, Leen, SB (2013) 'Development of life assessment procedures for power plant headers operated under flexible loading scenarios'. International Journal Of Fatigue, 49 :50-61.
PublisherElsevier ScienceDirect 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Abstract A finite element methodology for thermomechanical fatigue analysis of a subcritical power plant outlet header under realistic loading conditions is presented. The methodology consists of (i) a transient heat transfer model, (ii) a sequential anisothermal cyclic viscoplastic model and (iii) a multiaxial, criticalplane implementation of the Ostergren fatigue indicator parameter. The methodology permits identification of the local thermomechanical stress-strain response at critical locations and prediction of fatigue life and cracking orientation for complex transient, anisothermal, cyclic elastic-plastic-creep material behaviour. Measured plant data, in the form of steam and pipe temperature transients and steam pressure data, are employed to identify heat transfer constants and validate the predicted thermal response, with particular attention given to plant start-up and attemperation effects. The predictions indicate out-of-phase temperature-strain response at the header inside surface and in-phase response on the outside surface. Cooling transients are predicted to control damage and crack initiation at the inner bore, whereas heating transients are predicted to have a more damaging effect at weld locations. A representative test cycle is presented, which is shown to capture the salient thermo-mechanical cyclic damage of the realistic cycle. The predicted results correlate well with industrial experience in terms of crack (initiation) orientation, location and life.
IntroductionThere is a need to understand the performance of candidate power plant materials for higher temperatures and pressures. 9-12% Cr steels are an example of such candidate materials, owing to their excellent mechanical properties, and steels such as P91 and P92 are already being utilised in power generation plant [1]. There is an increasing trend towards shifting of energy supply from conventional fossil fuel power plant to sustainable energies, e.g. wind power. To allow for the variable nature of renewable energy supply, there is a requirement to operate existing plant, designed for 'base-load' operation, with relatively infrequent shutdown and start-up, in 'load-following' mode, characterised by increased frequency of shutdown and start-up. This issue has increased the importance of design and assessment of materials and components for high temperature, pressurised plant with respect to thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) and creep-fatigue failure.Current header design does not consider cyclic thermal stresses and load cycling that can lead to creep-f...