Application of RSE-M2010 on In-Service Inspection of Taishan EPR Project

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueliang Zhang ◽  
Chunbing Shao ◽  
Ximing Tang ◽  
Cheng Yang ◽  
Huixing Feng
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Previous Edition ◽  
Future Improvement ◽  
Service Inspection ◽  
Industrial Risk

The latest edition of French In-service Inspection Rules RSE-M2010, incorporating the up-to-date upstream French regulations, orders and requirements for pressure equipments, and taking into account both of the radioactive risk and industrial risk in nuclear power plant (NPP), has been adopted as the applicable rule for in-service inspection (ISI) of EPR units. In RSE-M2010, the previously used benchmark for classification Safety Class has been replaced by the Nuclear Pressure Equipments Class (ESPN Class), and the category of pressure equipments has been introduced to monitor the industry risks of NPP pressure equipments, making it much more precise and convenient to define the scope of equipments which subjected to ISI and corresponding ISI requirements on frequency and methods. This paper described the main differences of the ISI requirements in RSE-M2010 and previous edition of RSE-M, also introduced practices of applying RSE-M2010 when preparing the ISI program of Taishan EPR units. Based on the application practice of RSE-M2010 on Taishan EPR project, some proposals for future improvement of this code are presented. Preliminary thinking for future implementation of EPR ISI activities has also been described.

Application Differences of In-Service Inspection Regulations Between RSE-M2010 and ASME Section XI in China PWRs

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Cheng ◽  
Zhang Xueliang ◽  
Xia Peng ◽  
Zeng Qingyue ◽  
Li Tian
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Third Generation ◽  
Difference Analysis ◽  
The Third ◽  
Pressure Test ◽  
Service Inspection

RSE-M 2010 and ASME Section XI are the widely used and most detailed PWR in-service inspection regulations applied in China PWRs which are separately belong to French AFCEN and American ASME regulations, and come from the different nuclear industry practices of their countries. In 1987, the French M310 type reactor was imported to China and therewith the RSE-M in-service inspection regulation was introduced, beginning to be widely used in China PWRs since that time. Meanwhile, Chinese nuclear power institutes began to independently develop its own PWR reactor named Qinshan Phase I Nuclear Power Plant, and then ASME Section XI in-service inspection regulation was used which was also beginning to be widely used in some Chinese PWRs. With the nuclear power technology development and innovation, such regulations are continually updated and perfected. Thus, there are many differences during application in Chinese specific PWRs. This paper has performed quite deeply application difference analysis between the two regulations based on several aspects, such as upstream laws cited, component classification, inspection requirement, NDE, qualification, pressure test and the Safety Authority review requirements for licensing. Some preliminary thinking has been presented during applying these two regulations and some technical suggestions have been also provided to perfect the regulations in the hope to provide better reference during application on the third generation PWRs (including HPR1000) in China.

Application of Risk-Informed Methods to Improve Plant Operation at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emil Kichev ◽  
Ivan Ivanov ◽  
Kaliopa Mancheva ◽  
Yasen Petrov ◽  
Vesselina Vladimirova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Level ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Safety Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Inspection

Refueling outages at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) Units 5 and 6 are used to perform annual repairs and preventive maintenance activities, piping inspections, and test activities. A refueling outage at KNPP typically requires 60 days and occurs on an annual basis. Testing of safety systems at the KNPP Units 5 and 6 is an extensive exercise that results in multiple actuations of all components during each test and a relatively high number of component actuations each year. This results in equipment wear out issues that can lead to considerable component replacement and/or refurbishment. Numerous piping in-service inspections are conducted in locations where there has been no industry or plant-specific indications or failures, leading to unnecessary personnel exposure. KNPP is interested in using risk-informed (RI) approaches to reduce refueling outage length, piping inspections, testing, and exposure. KNPP is a four-loop Voda-Vodyanoi Energetichesky Reaktor (VVER) with a power level of 1000 MWe. Safety systems consist of three trains. The KNPP at-power probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) model includes internal and external events. It addresses the full range of events leading to core damage frequency (CDF) and includes a simplified level 2 model leading to large early release frequency (LERF). The RI approach, as defined in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) risk-informed (RI) Regulatory Guides (RGs) 1.174, 1.177, and 1.178, was used in this program. The specific approach used for risk-informed in-service inspection (RI-ISI) is based on the Pressurized Water Reactor Owner’s Group methodology. The overall approach for each of the three applications used a multi-step process which included the following: identification of systems to address; identification of alternatives to current maintenance, inspection, and testing practices; a risk assessment of the proposed alternatives; an assessment of the impact of the changes on deterministic considerations; identification of monitoring requirements; and an assessment of the economic benefits. The RI-ISI program also considered the impact of the changes on personnel exposure. The overall approach made extensive use of data assessments, reliability methods, and risk assessments. The results demonstrated that the proposed changes in maintenance, in-service inspection, and testing programs have a small impact on risk, based on CDF and LERF. In addition, the proposed changes provide significant benefits in terms of reduced outage time, in-service inspections, testing requirements, and personnel exposure. The economic analysis demonstrated that changes to the maintenance program provide the largest benefit followed by the changes to the in-service inspection program and then the changes to the testing program.

Comparison and Reference Between RSE-M and ASME Section XI Regulations on In-Service Inspection for China Nuclear Power Plant

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Haitao ◽  
Zhang Qinghua ◽  
Jia Panpan ◽  
Ling Ligong ◽  
Wang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Mechanical Equipment ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Scope Of Application ◽  
Specific Implementation ◽  
Service Inspection

RSE-M and ASME Section XI regulations are currently recognized as NPP ISI regulations which are most extensively used, most detailed in content and most mature in technology in the world. In China, RSE-M or ASME section XI regulations are used to guide the ISI program preparation, ISI activities implementation and management. There are many differences between RSE-M and ASME Section XI regulations, such as application of regulation, scope of application, main frame and content, basic requirements of ISI, acceptance and evaluation of ISI results, repairing and change. At the same time, some technical clauses can be used for reference by each other, such as qualification and inspection items. By comparison of RSE-M and ASME Section XI regulations for in-service inspection rules of China pressurized water reactor power plant, the technical differences between the two rules are analyzed. Combined with application and engineer practices for in-service inspection of China nuclear power plant, some technical terms used for mutual reference are summarized to provide assistance for establishing the in-service inspection program and specific implementation. During ISI activity, applicable regulation should be chosen according to the requirements of design in consideration of inspection items, examination methods, defect acceptance criteria and evaluation. Meanwhile, implementation of RSE-M and ASME Section XI regulations should be combined with the design features, experience feedback and aging management of mechanical equipment, and draw lessons from mature technical clauses of other regulations.

Application of Joint Boring Technique in Solving RCL Wall Thickness Problem

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huadong Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Wall Thickness ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Coolant Pump ◽  
Reactor Coolant ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
Nuclear Power Project ◽  
Power Project ◽  
Service Inspection

Nuclear Power Project RCL (reactor coolant loop) is one of the most critical nuclear safety class 1 equipment in PWR nuclear power plant. Filled with borated water, the RCL is a closed loop and serves as pressure boundary incorporating the reactor pressure vessel, steam generator and reactor coolant pump. Since in-service inspection is required for welds of the RCL, the two sides of the welds shall be bored to meet UT (Ultrasonic Testing) inspection requirements. The design standard states that “if the weld is subject to service inspection, the length of the counterbore shall be 2Tmin (Tmin = minimum of wall thickness) for pipe and Tmin for components and fittings. Therefore, the minimal wall thickness of the boring area inside the RCL shall also meet design requirements. Examination of the RCLs delivered to the nuclear power project sites showed that the wall thickness of some parts of the RCL exceed tolerance in varying degrees (the wall thickness is too thin). The RCL borings need to be analyzed to mitigate the negative impact of insufficient wall thickness, maintain RCL wall thickness to the largest extent and meet design requirements. Under the condition of the jobsite data are idealized, this study analyzes the boring plans for the cold leg of loop B at the reactor vessel side for this nuclear power plant Unit 1 NI (Nuclear Island) and discusses the three methods of boring, namely, general boring, taper boring and eccentric boring. It finds that a combination of taper boring and eccentric boring is the optimal plan. This joint boring technique can help achieve the minimal boring wall thickness, reduce the grinding quantity and maintain the required wall thickness, thus resolving the out-of-tolerance issue. In addition, it meets the design requirements, the wall thickness and in-service inspection requirements. Supervision agency approved the application of the joint boring technique to the RCL for the projects. The RCL installation has proved to be a success.

Qualification of Ultrasonic Examination for RPV Nozzle to Shell Welds of EPR Nuclear Power Plant

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
WeiQiang Wang ◽  
Zhe Yu ◽  
Xin Ye ◽  
HuaiDong Chen ◽  
GuanBing Ma
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Ultrasonic Inspection ◽  
Primary Circuit ◽  
Ultrasonic Examination ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
Service Inspection

European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) nuclear power plant is now under construction in China. One of the biggest changes in the EPR reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is the nozzle to shell welds are designed as “set-on” principle instead of “set-in” principle in the CPR1000 units. The nozzle to shell welds of the EPR pressure vessel must be inspected according to the RSE-M code. This is necessary in order to guarantee the integrity of the primary circuit. The In-Service Inspection (ISI) program of EPR nuclear power plant demands the automatic ultrasonic inspection of the nozzle to shell welds from nozzle inner surface. This paper presents the technical characteristics of the EPR reactor vessel, and analyzes the in-service examination requirements of nozzle to shell welds. Technical solutions have been designed to perform the examination of the component. The qualification process of the ultrasonic examination of the nozzle to shell welds is also presented.

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