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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Snubber aging assessment: Results of NPAR Phase 2 in-plant research

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6087102
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
  2. Lake Engineering Co., Greenville, RI (United States)

Snubbers are safety-related devices used to restrain undesirable dynamic loads at various piping and large equipment locations in nuclear power plants (NPPs). Snubbers are designed to accommodate normal thermal movements of a plant's operating systems or equipment and to be capable of restraining the maximum off-normal dynamic loads postulated for its specific location. Snubbers are subject to the effects of aging, and the factors that degrade their safety performance need to be better understood. This paper describes the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Phase 2 Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) in-plant aging study conducted to enhance the understanding of snubber aging, providing a basis to mitigate its consequences. The research methodology, results, recommendations, and conclusions are described in this paper. Recommendations for monitoring the service life of snubbers is a principal result of the research and will provide input to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Operations and Maintenance (OM) Code, Subsection ISTD. 5 refs., 4 figs.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
NRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6087102
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-20093; CONF-911079--4; ON: DE92002736
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English