Feed Pump

Discharge Line
Vibration Solved at
Byron Station, Unit 2
...................................................

By Paul R. Donavin, J. J. Patel,

Herbert L. Miller, and Curtis G. Sterud
Presented at the American Power Conference,
Chicago, Illinois; April 1315, 1993

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Feed Pump Discharge Line

Vibration Solved at Byron
Station, Unit 2
" By Paul R. Donavin, Mechanical & Structural Design
Supervisor; J. J. Patel, Mechanical and Structural Design
Engineer, Commonwealth Edison Company, Downers Grove,
Illinois; Herbert L. Miller, Vice President, and Curtis G. Sterud,
Principal Engineer, Control Components, Inc.
Introduction

ver since its 1987 start-up, the discharge piping on motordriven, steam generator feedwater pump at the Byron Station,

Unit 2, has experienced severe vibration problems. This problem

CECO, Byron Station

has also arisen at the three other duplicate nuclear plants on

The frequencies of standing waves in the downstream piping

the Commonwealth Edison system. A study was instituted at

and that of the regulating valve were not coincident because the

the Byron Station, Unit 2, to determine the causes of this

flow regulating valve stem position was very stable throughout its

vibration. After a thorough review of several potential causes

operating range.

for the problem, it was determined that abrupt flow changes

in the discharge piping were the cause. Therefore these abrupt
flow changes were eliminated and a larger regulating valve was
installed. This dramatically reduced vibration to an acceptable

The existing regulating valve was of the tortuous-path design; it

was not a single-orifice valve. Velocities were controlled within
acceptable criteria and met the general guidelines of good design
practice.

level. Based on this experience, similar modifications are either

completed or underway at the Byron Station, Unit 1, and the

The steam generator feedwater pump was not in series or parallel

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2.

with any other nearby pump. This left cause number 1 as the

Vibration Problem
The very severe vibration experienced in the main discharge
piping and other related structures measured as high as 0.07
in. (1.8 mm) in amplitude with frequencies up to 20 Hz. This
vibration caused many of the threaded piping supports to loosen,
caused instrumentation and other piping to vibrate as much as

dominant cause for the severe vibration experienced.

Figure 1 shows the original, 14-in. regulating valve having a 10-in.
(250 mm) seat ring port and its adjacent piping. Note that this
valve was installed between reducers and expanders into a 24-in.
line. The sharp corners in the reducing and expanding flow path
are conductive to the formation of vortices. Flow through this

0.38 in. (9.7mm), and could be clearly discerned in the shift

engineers office directly above the discharge piping.
Vibration Problem Investigation
Possible causes for this condition were thoroughly investigated.
These causes can be broadly classified into four categories.
1. The shedding of discrete-frequency ring vortices from a wideangle expander can be a source of pressure pulses. This could
also cause jetting and pulsating vortex formation where the
fluid flow separates from the pipe wall due to wide-angle
expansion.
2. A standing wave in the downstream piping that is vibrating
coincident with the natural frequency of the regulating valve.
3. Lack of velocity control through control valves in the line.
4. Multiple pumps in series or parallel that might not be
hydraulically matched.
Possible cause numbers 2, 3 and 4 were ruled out as dominant
contributors to the problem.

Feed Pump Discharge Line Vibration Solved at Byron Station, Unit 2 | 251

Figure 1Original regulating valve and piping configuration.

2000 CCI. All rights reserved.

TABLE I " SELECTED SYSTEM VIBRATION DATA PRIOR TO RETROFIT AT 17,000 GPM FLOW
Location

Direction

Frequency-Hz

Amplitude-in. (mm)

Snubber

Axial

2.5 to 7.6

0.067 (1.70)

Pipe Clamp

Axial

5 to 20

0.064 (1.63)

expander and reducer produces a velocity increase and decrease

of almost 300 percent in the relatively short distances of about
20 in. (500 mm) each.
It was determined, therefore, that this was the dominant cause
of the vibration problemrapid, wide-angle loss of flow control
causing pulsating vortex formation in this region.
Valve and Expander Replacement
As a result of this investigation, and the solution it suggested,
together with a review of the configuration of the steam generator
feedwater pump discharge piping configuration at the Zion
Station, the regulating valve was replaced with a larger, 24-in.
tortuous-path valve having a 16-in. (400 mm) seat ring port.
The concentric downstream expander and upstream reducer
were incorporated into the valve body with smooth diameter
transitions to closely control the flow velocity changes involved.
Figure 2 shows the replacement regulating valve and valve body
which required no system piping changes. As a result, flow
velocity through the valve seat ring has been reduced 2 times,

FIgure 2Replacement valve with smooth diameter

piping/valve transition

and overall velocity through the inlet and outlet runs of the new

groove or pressure-equalization ring (PER) to assure that the

cast valve body has been reduced by a factor of four.

radial forces acting on the valve plug are equal. This keeps
the plug centered and prevents plug vibration. Since the valve

Resulting Reduced Vibration

As a result of these modifications, the vibration problem was
greatly reduced. Tables 1 and 2 compare vibration measurements

is not required to seal against a high differential pressure, it

incorporates a leakage Class IV seat/plug materials and design.

taken before the larger, smooth-flow contoured valve was

Disk Characterization

installed with vibration measurements taken after installation in

Discreet groups of these disks within the stack can be designed

several locations. The table shows that vibrations were reduced to

to almost any varying pressure drop condition required at specific

0.002 in. (.050 mm) or less in the 4 to 6 Hz range.

valve-stroke positions. This is called characterization. For the

steam generator feedwater pump regulating valve at the Byron

Tortuous-Path Valve Design

In tortuous-path valves, Figure 3, designed for maximum flow
control under severe pressure conditions, the valves are made up
of a stack of tortuous-path disks, Figure 4.

Station, Unit 2, the relation between percent valve stroke and

percent valve coefficient (Cv) was achieved as shown in Figure 5.
This involved three characterization steps: one up to 20 percent
Cv , one between 20 percent Cv and about 50 percent Cv, and one

Each disk in the stack is provided with an inside diameter

between 50 percent Cv and full capacity.

TABLE II " SELECTED SYSTEM VIBRATION DATA AFTER RETROFIT AT 17,500 GPM
Location

Direction

Frequency-Hz

Amplitude-in. (mm)

Support No. 1

Horizontal

4.0

0.0008 (.020)

Support No. 1

Vertical

6.0

0.0015 (.038)

Support No. 2

Horizontal

5.0

0.0020 (.051)

Shift Engrs. Floor

Vertical

4.0

0.0020 (.051)

2000 CCI. All rights reserved.

251 | Feed Pump Discharge Line Vibration Solved at Byron Station, Unit 2

Valve Mechanical Design

Conclusion

Steam generator feedwater regulating

This thorough investigation of the steam generator feedwater

valves, which must closely control

pump discharge line vibration problem at the Byron Station, Unit

wide-ranging flows at high

2, and the successful solution, determined and implemented,

differential pressures, should be

have reduced vibration dramatically and to acceptable levels

of the tortuous-path design

throughout this piping system. Instrumentation piping and other

for long life and optimum

piping and supports related to this 24-in. main steam generator

operation. A typical

feedwater pump discharge line are no longer in jeopardy. The

tortuous-path valve

motor-driven feedpump can now be depended upon to function

usually employs eight

properly whenever the turbine-driven, steam generator feedwater

disks per inch (3.2 mm

pump is down.

thick) of the disk stack.

On the basis of this retrofit success, duplicate nuclear plants

This dissipates pressure

in Commonwealth Edison systemByron Station, Unit 1; and

energy through abrupt,

Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2are undergoing this same

right-angle turns within

steam generator feedwater pump discharge line modification.

each individual disk.

Because these flow

Bibliography

paths are fixed in each

1. Fan, D. And Tijsseling, A., Fluid-Structure Interaction with

Cavitation in Transient Pipe Flows, Transactions of the ASME, Vol.
114, June 1992, pp. 268274.

disk in the stack,

individual disk flow is
constant at any degree
of modulation. Water

Figure 3Torturous-path valve design

velocities are thus limited in

this design to about 60 ft./sec. (18 m/sec).
Valve Actuation
This steam generator feedwater regulating valve is pneumatically
actuated. Although these tortuous-path regulating valves are
not sensitive to electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuation,
good actuator resolution is required to prevent valve/feedpump
interaction. Experience has shown that these characterized,
tortuous-path regulating valves operate successfully with a

2. Inoue, F., Outa, E., Matsouka, H., and Machiyama, T., Flow
Oscillation in a Contoured Plug Valve with Multi-Hole Retainer
and the related String-Cavitation Generation, Reprinted from
ASME Flucome; 91, Book No. 1003151991, pp. 7785.
3. Lynch, J., Impedance-Coupled Valve and Fluid System Instability,
Advances in Mathematics, Computations, and Reactor Physics. Vol.
3, pages 3-1 to 3-14. International tropical meeting sponsored by
ASME, ANS, JAEC, CAEC, Pittsburg, Pa., May 1991.
4. Miller, H. L., and Sterud, C.G., A High-Pressure Pump
Recirculation Valve, paper presented at the Electric Power
Research Institute Power Plant Valve Symposium, Kansas City, Mo.,
August 1987.
5. Miller, H. L., and Sterud, C. G., How Feedpump Recirculation
Valves Withstand Severe Duty, Power, August 1987, pp. 7980.

2-percent resolution.

Figure 4Multi-stage disk

Feed Pump Discharge Line Vibration Solved at Byron Station, Unit 2 | 251

Figure 5Valve Cv vs. stroke

2000 CCI. All rights reserved.