Estimation of Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) in Feeder Pipes using CFDd Software Fluent

Abstract

Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) is a corrosion mechanism induced by a combination of various physical, chemical and hydrodynamic factors that results into wall thinning of piping. Prediction and modeling of this phenomena is needed  to account for local and non uniform distribution flow and mass transport characteristics This can be done by using CFD software FLUENT. In a number of nuclear reactors a feeder wall thing rate of 0.1084 mm/EFPY has been reported. In this study emphasis is given on two objectives. The first one was to perform CFD analysis using FLUENT. Feeder channel of a typical reactor was modeled as it showed the maximum wall thinning rate of 1.1 mm per year. However in this analysis no consideration was given to the chemical treatment of working fluid. The experimental studies of FAC were done at various temperatures in order to determine the threshold temperature for FAC. However, due to experimental limitations no significant FAC was found for water temperatures up to 90°C.

Keywords: Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC), CFD, erosion, pipe bends, FLUENT