A HYBRID VOLUME INTEGRAL‐FINITE ELEMENTS APPROACH FOR THE SIMULATION OF EDDY CURRENT INSPECTION OF STEAM GENERATOR TUBES IN THE REGION OF QUADRIFOILED SUPPORT PLATE

A hybrid Volume Integral Method (VIM)—Finite Elements Method (FEM) model for the numerical modeling of eddy current inspection of steam generator (SG) tubes near quadrifoiled tube support plates (TSP) is presented. The coupled approach combines the flexibility of the FEM in modeling complex geometries with the numerical efficiency of the VIM, reducing the computational time demanded for the solution of the problem. Material deposit in the TSP openings, responsible for clogging up effects, can also be taken into account with this approach and will be considered in a next stage. The present work is conducted in the context of the further development of the CIVA nondestructive evaluation simulation platform, notably within the undertaken developments concerning coupled FEM‐VIM calculations.