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BWR performance for longevity

Conference · · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6810432
Good performance is essential for boiling water reactor (BWR) plant life extension (PLEX). Economic evaluations show that the benefits attributable to extended service of a typical BWR depend on maintaining a high capacity factor. Plant reliability as measured by forced outage rate must also be managed to recover the investments made for longevity. In addition to economic factors, technical evaluations suggest that sustained high availability is a reliable indicator of sound equipment and operating procedures, both necessary elements for long BWR life. Many performance improvements that are made to reach short- or medium-term goals also enhance longevity. Examples include hydrogen water chemistry to avoid stress corrosion cracking (SCC), predictive maintenance, enhanced feedwater control, and scram reductions. From a regulatory perspective, the good performance of a BWR usually implies a high safety margin. This paper illustrated the relation between performance and longevity for BWR plants in the economic, technical, and regulatory areas.
Research Organization:
General Electric Co., San Jose, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6810432
Report Number(s):
CONF-8711195-
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 55
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English