Thermal buckling and progressive ovalization of pipes: experiences at the TTS sodium test facility and their analysis Original Research Article

Two remarkable thermally induced deformation mechanisms of pipes which may have serious effects on structural integrity, thermal buckling and progressive ovalization, were observed on the horizontal piping of the sodium test facility, called TTS, with which cyclic thermal transient tests of structures had been conducted. The thermal buckling, which was caused by thermal stratification, occurred at a circumferentially welded region of the pipe where a noticeable geometrical imperfection existed. The buckling was analyzed comprehensively for this pipe, using both the finite element method and a simplified method based on Gellinʹs analysis results. The predictions were reasonable and gave confidence in accounting for the sodium leakage encountered at the TTS. It was also demonstrated by the finite element analyses that the progressive ovalization of the pipe cross-section from a circular to a downward triangular shape can be caused by cyclic thermal stratification under the existence of cover gas in the pipe.