Numerical Study of the Thermo-mechanical Behavior of 304L Stainless Steel Pipeline Junctions

Abstract

The present paper is focused on the behavior of different junctions under the effect of internal pressure and temperature variation. The main junctions studied are of the T-junction and Y-junction type. The goal being to calculate the stress fields coupled to the temperature variation. This coupling realistically defines the thermo-mechanical behavior of the junction and in particular at the intersection where high stress concentrations are observed. The junction is an element widely used in industrial installations such as the cooling circuits of nuclear power plants which are subject to temperature fluctuations due to the mixture of hot fluids and cold these are called mixing zones. These fluctuations can lead to thermal or mechanical fatigue damage and cracking in the circuits causing leaks. Numerical modelling is carried out on the ANSYS calculation code based on the finite element method.