Managing aging in nuclear power plants: Insights from NRC's Maintenance Team Inspection reports

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7042624

Fresco, A; Subudhi, M

A plant's maintenance program is the principal vehicle through which age-related degradation is managed. From 1988 to 1991, the NRC evaluated the maintenance program of every nuclear power plant in the United States. Forty-four out of a total of sixty-seven of the reports issued on these in-depth team inspections have been reviewed for insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the programs as related to the need to understand and manage the effects of aging on nuclear plant structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Relevant information has been extracted from these inspection reports sorted into several categories; including Specific Aging Insights, Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance and Condition Monitoring, Post Maintenance Testing, Failure Trending, Root Cause Analysis and Usage of Probabilistic Risk Assessment in the Maintenance Process. Specific examples of inspection and monitoring techniques successfully used by utilities to detect degradation due to aging have been identified.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: NRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 7042624
• Report Number(s): BNL-NUREG-48225; CONF-921007--19; ON: DE93006652
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220200 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Components & Accessories
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
AGING
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRIC GENERATORS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
FAILURES
FLOW REGULATORS
INSPECTION
MAINTENANCE
MANAGEMENT
MOTORS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
POWER PLANTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
RELAYS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SWITCHES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
VALVES