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Title: Importance ranking based on aging considerations of components included in probabilistic risk assessments

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6004772

This report presents a method for focusing additional research on aging phenomena that affects nuclear power plant components. Specifically, the method ranks components using a risk aging sensitivity measure that describes the change in risk due to changes in component failure rate. Describing the aging phenomena and the resulting time-dependent component failure rate changes is beyond the scope of this study. The applications use average component unavailability equations currently employed in PRAs to calculate the risk aging sensitivity. A more exact calculation is possible by using unavailability equations that include the time-dependent characteristics are not well-known. The risk aging sensitivity measure presented here is, therefore, segregated from these time-dependent effects and addresses only the time-independent portion of aging phenomena. The results identify the component types that show the most potential for risk change due to aging phenomena. Future research on the time-dependent portion of aging phenomena for these component types is needed to completely describe the risk impact due to component aging.

Research Organization:
Battelle Columbus Labs., OH (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6004772
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-4144; PNL-5389; ON: TI85010128
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English