Plant Life Management for Long Term Operation Worldwide

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Bychkov
Keyword(s):  
Term Operation ◽  
Life Management ◽  
Plant Life

Plant Life Management Models: A Comparison With Analysis of Impact on Both Safety and Non-Safety Issues

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Contri ◽  
Povilas Vaisnys ◽  
Bernhard Elsing
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Life Management ◽  
Management Models ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
Safety Programs ◽  
Research Organisations

Due to current social and economical framework, in last years many nuclear power plant owners started a program for the Long Term Operation (LTO)/PLIM (Plant Life Management) of their older nuclear facilities. A PLIM framework requires both a detailed review of the features of the main safety programs (Maintenance, ISI, Surveillance) and a complete integration of these safety programs into the general management system of the plant. Therefore PLiM should address safety as well economics, knowledge management as well as decision making, and provide an overall framework to keep the whole plant in a safe and economically sustainable condition. Moreover, new external factors, such as: large use of subcontractors, need for efficient management of spare parts, request for heavy plant refurbishment programs demand for updated techniques in the overall management of the plant. Therefore new organisational models have to be developed to appropriately support the PLIM framework. In recent years a network of European Research Organisations (SENUF) carried out many R&D tasks aiming at capturing the aspects of the maintenance programs where research is mostly needed and at developing suitable optimised maintenance models. Using the outcome of these initiatives, this paper aims at identifying the technical attributes of the PLIM program more directly affecting the decision for a long-term safe operation of a nuclear facility, and the issues related to its optimal implementation. A comparison of some of the available models is presented and an analysis of the potential impact on safety and non-safety programs is provided in order to support the development of optimised life management models.

Comparison of Plant Life Management Approaches for Long Term Operations

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Nuzzo ◽  
Ki-Sig Kang
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Member States ◽  
Safety Review ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Life Management ◽  
Design Life ◽  
Plant Life

Many Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have given high priority to long term operation of nuclear power plants beyond the timeframe originally anticipated (e.g. 30 or 40 years). Out of a total of 445 (369 GWe) operating nuclear power plants, 349 units (297 GWe) have been in operation for more than 20 years (as of November 2011) and many are engaged in investigations and studies aimed at prolonging the plant service life. The need for engineering support to operation, maintenance, safety review and life management for long term operation as well as education and training on LTO issues is increasingly evident. Plant life management (PLiM) techniques that can be defined as the integration of ageing and economic planning, have been used in operating nuclear power plants to maintain a high level of safety, optimize performance and justify long term operation (LTO) beyond the plant design life. In addition, as a follow up to the Fukushima accident, operators have become even more attentive to beyond design basis measures in the preparation of their plants for operation beyond their design life. In many countries, the safety performance of NPPs is periodically assessed and characterized via the periodic safety review (PSR) process. Regulatory review and acceptance of PSRs constitutes for these countries the licensing requirement for continued operation of the plant to the following PSR cycle (usually 10 years). In the USA and in other countries operating US designed plants, instead of a PSR process, a license renewal application (LRA) process is followed, which requires certain pre-requisites such as ageing management programmes, particularly for passive irreplaceable systems structures and components (SSCs). Active components are normally addressed via the maintenance rule (MR) requirements and other established regulatory processes. A third group of Member States have adopted a combined approach that incorporates elements of both the PSR process and selected LRA specific requirements, such as time limited ageing analysis. Taking into account this variety of approaches, the IAEA initiated work to collect and share information among Member States on good practices in plant life management for long term operation in nuclear power plants, by comparing the various approaches to the PSR reference and by drawing lessons learned from relevant applications and experiences.

Plant Life Management Models: A Comparison With Analysis of Impact on Both Safety and Nonsafety Issues

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Contri ◽  
Bernhard Elsing
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Organizational Models ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Life Management ◽  
Management Models ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
Safety Programs

Motivated by social and economical issues, over the last 20 years, many nuclear power plant owners started a program for the long-term operation (LTO)/plant life management (PLIM) of their older nuclear facilities. A PLIM framework requires both a detailed review of the features of the main safety programs; maintenance, surveillance, and in-service inspection (MS&I); and a complete integration of these safety programs into the general management system of the plant. Therefore, PLIM should address safety, as well as economics, knowledge management, and decision making and provide an overall framework to keep the whole plant in a safe and economically sustainable condition. Moreover, the existence of new external factors, such as extensive use of subcontractors, need for efficient management of spare parts, and request for heavy plant refurbishment programs, demands for updated techniques in the overall management of the plant. Therefore, new organizational models have to be developed to appropriately support the PLIM framework. In recent years, a network of European research organizations (SENUF) carried out many R&D tasks aimed at capturing the aspects of the maintenance programs, where research is mostly needed and at developing suitable optimized maintenance models. Using the outcome of these initiatives, this paper aims at identifying the technical attributes of the PLIM program more directly affecting the decision for a long term safe operation of a nuclear facility and the issues related to its optimal implementation. A comparison of some of the available models is presented and an analysis of the potential impact on safety and nonsafety programs is provided in order to support the development of optimized life management models.

OECD/NEA Activities to Support Long Term Operation

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-711
Author(s):  
Andrei Blahoianu ◽  
◽  
Alejandro Huerta ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Plant Life

The Integrity and Aging of Components and Structures Working Group (IAGE) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was established under the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) for three reasons: (i) to advance the current understanding of those aspects relevant to ensuring the integrity of structures, systems, and components ; (ii) to provide for guidance in choosing the optimal ways to handle challenges to the integrity of operating as well as new nuclear power plants, and (iii) to take an integrated approach to design, safety, and nuclear power plant life management. The group operates through annual plenary meetings and technical workshops and by issuing state-of-the-art reports and topical opinion papers. This paper details some recent IAGE activities and products, focusing on those dealing with the degradationmechanisms of metal and concrete components.

Research Studies in Support of Nuclear Power Plant Life Management

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel R. Bie´th ◽  
Paolo Contri
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Safety Level ◽  
Life Management ◽  
Plant Life ◽  
Directorate General ◽  
Safety Programs

The analysis of the plant operating practice in European countries shows a growing interest in plant life management programs (PLIM), integrating nuclear safety, economic and knowledge management issues in operating procedures and tools able to support optimised decision making. Such a trend is considered essential in market economies where optimised asset management is becoming imperative, keeping safety at the highest possible level. It is recognised that only an integrated approach to the management of some key safety and non-safety programs could guarantee full control on the plant assets, providing also invaluable frameworks for refined plant overall safety assessment, even in the long term, beyond the plant design life. The PLIM programs specifically address and control ageing phenomena, support optimisation of maintenance strategies, plan major plant reconstruction works, drive plant staff knowledge management and optimise economic resources. R&D is essential to support this development process of PLIM models, especially in the analysis of both the technical issues related to all types of component ageing, and in the challenging integration of safety and non-safety programs, such as in the case of maintenance optimisation, spare part management, staff ageing, and component obsolescence. The European Commission took important initiatives in contributing and supporting this R&D effort in selected PLIM areas, in the framework of the EURATOM programme, both by “direct actions” i.e. projects managed and executed by its Directorate General Joint Research Centres (JRC) and by indirect actions i.e. funding selected projects, managed by the Directorate General Research (RTD). This paper outlines the JRC’s priorities in the current 7th Framework Programme in relation to R&D tasks for PLIM methods to support the highest safety level at member NPPs and appropriate decision-making tools, also in view of long-term safe operation of the European plants. Some results made available by the on-going research programs are also shortly described, in the areas of PLIM models and operational indicators respectively.

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