Apparatus and method for searching eddy current of electric heat tube using measuring magnetic permeability in steam generator

• US 8,283,918 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Government of The Republic of Korea)
• Original Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Government of The Republic of Korea)
• Inventors: Park, Duck-Gun, Son, Derac, Ryu, Kwon-Sang, Jyung, Dae-hyuk, Kim, Whung-whoe
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, LAMARR A
• Application Number:
  US12/161,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20100301851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: 324/220, 324/221, 324/237, 324/238, 324/240, 324/228, 324/234, 324/239, 702/38, 702/35, 336/221, 336/222, 336/225
• US Class Current: 324/240
• CPC Class Codes: B24B 49/105 using eddy currents
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 37/003 Maintenance, repairing or inspecting equipment positioned in or via the headers
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/017 Inspection or maintenance of pipe-lines or tubes in nuclear installations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A detection apparatus for an eddy current in a heat generating tube using a permeability measurement method, and a method using the apparatus are provided. In the detection apparatus, a bobbin type probe acquires detection information with respect to a magnetic flux change by a magnetic phase occurring in the heat generating tube using a coil which is wound in an axis direction of at least one yoke located in a perpendicular direction with a bobbin of the bobbin type probe, and a material having a corresponding magnetic phase and a circumferential defect, which is difficult to be detected by the bobbin type probe, are detected based on the detection information.

Claims

1. A defect detection apparatus for an inside of a steam generator tubing in a nuclear reactor, the apparatus comprising:

a bobbin type probe forming a magnetizing force using a coil which is wound in a circumferential direction on at least one bobbin to acquire first detection information to determine a defect of the steam generator tubing;

a yoke type probe forming a magnetizing force using a coil which is wound in an axial direction on at least one yoke to acquire second detection information from the steam generator tubing,

wherein the at least one yoke is located in a direction perpendicular with the at least one bobbin; and

a signal processor for processing the second detection information to generate a corresponding digital signal, the signal processor further comprises;

a voltage control circuit supplying a power to a first coil of the yoke type probe,

a magnetic sensor sensing a magnetic flux change, having been formed on a second coil of the yoke type probe as a result of the supplying of the power to the first coil of the yoke type probe, and generating the second detection information, and

an analog to digital (AD) converter converting the second detection information to generate the corresponding digital signal,

wherein the defect detection apparatus determines a material at a location of the defect from a magnetic phase based on the first detection information and one or more of the corresponding digital signal and the second detection information.

2. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second detection information are information about a magnetic flux change over time.

3. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein an axial defect of the steam generator tubing is determined according to the first detection information.

4. The detection apparatus of claim 3, wherein a circumferential defect of the steam generator tubing is determined according to the second detection information.

5. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal processor detects a quadrature component with respect to the magnetic flux change which indicates the second detection information by referring to a phase of an external alternating current (AC) source, and generates data to determine the material at the location of the defect according to the magnetic phase of the defect.

6. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetic sensor detects a quadrature component with respect to the magnetic flux change which indicates the second detection information.

7. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is wound on a portion of the at least one yoke that is located on an imaginary line which connects a central axis of the steam generator tubing with an external contact point of the steam generator tubing.

8. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one yoke is made of any one of a ferrite and an electric steel sheet (SiFe).

13. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material at the location of the defect determined from the magnetic phase based on the second detection information identifies the defect as being one of critical or non-critical.

14. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second coil of the yoke type probe is wound in the axial direction on the at least one yoke.

17. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one yoke of the yoke type probe comprises at least a first yoke and a second yoke, wherein the first yoke is located in a direction perpendicular with the at least one bobbin and the second yoke is located in a direction perpendicular with the at least one bobbin.

19. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal processor further comprises:

a first voltage control circuit supplying a power to a first coil of the bobbin type probe;

a first magnetic sensor sensing the magnetic flux change, having been formed on a second coil of the bobbin type probe as a result of the supplying of the power to the first coil of the bobbin type probe, and generating the first detection information;

the analog to digital (AD) converter converting the first detection information to a corresponding first digital signal.

20. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first coil of the yoke type probe and the second coil of the yoke type probe being perpendicular to the coil of the bobbin type probe.

21. The detection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material that is determined is a form of corrosion.

9. A defect detection method for an inside of a heat generating tube, the method comprising:

forming a first magnetizing force using a coil which is wound in a circumferential direction on at least one bobbin;

sensing a change of the first magnetizing force, and acquiring first detection information to determine a defect of the heat generating tube;

supplying a power to a first coil of at least one yoke with a voltage control circuit;

forming a second magnetizing force by using the first coil of the at least one yoke which is wound in an axial direction on the at least one yoke, wherein the at least one yoke is located in a direction perpendicular with the at least one bobbin;

sensing a change of the second magnetizing force, having been formed on a second coil of the at least one yoke as a result of the supplying of the power to the first coil of the at least one yoke, with a magnetic sensor and generating second detection information;

converting the second detection information with an analog to digital (AD) converter to generate a corresponding digital signal; and

determining a material at a location of the defect from a magnetic phase based on the first detection information and one or more of the corresponding digital signal and the second detection information.

10. The detection method of claim 9, wherein the first and second detection information are information of a magnetic flux change over time.

11. The detection method of claim 9, wherein an axial defect of the heat generating tube is determined according to the first detection information, and a circumferential defect of the heat generating tube is determined according to the second detection information.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for implementing the detection method of any one of claims 9 through 11.

15. The detection method of claim 9, wherein the material at the location of the defect determined from the magnetic phase based on the second detection information identifies the defect as being one of critical or non-critical.

16. The detection method of claim 9, wherein the second coil of the at least one yoke is wound in the axial direction on the at least one yoke.

18. The detection method of claim 9, wherein the at least one yoke comprises at least a first yoke and a second yoke, wherein the first yoke is located in a direction perpendicular with the at least one bobbin and the second yoke is located in a direction perpendicular with the at least one bobbin.