CANDU Plant Life Management: Safeguarding the Investment

Abstract

With a large number of the CANDU NPPs getting to the mid-point of their design life, a number of programs have been initiated by the Utilities and AECL to proactively manage plant aging, hence ensuring a safe and reliable operation for the remaining design life. An integrated aging management program is being formulated in response to the regulatory authority the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB). This integrated program will take into account safety, performance and economic requirements. Elements of this program cover a variety of areas; Phase 1 covers life assessment studies of the critical systems, structures and components (SSCs) including a methodology for defining the critical SSCs. Other programs within Phase 2 address the preparation of a unified set of industry guidelines covering maintenance and inspection requirements during early, middle and late years of plant operation. A technology watch program has also been initiated. The objective of this program is to identify far in advance potential aging phenomena and failure modes that could affect plant performance along with the inspection and maintenance required to monitor and mitigate such aging effects. The importance of maintaining the plant within a well-established licensing basis envelope is also discussed. Plant licensing is carried out for an initial set of conditions and equipment status which may vary during plant life. Canadian utilities are required by the licensing authority, the AECB, to assess the impact of aging on the licensing case for each plant in operation. So far, the main focus of these assessments has been the impact of aging on key parameters such as fuel thermal margin and containment leak rate. Ongoing activities covering characterization of aging, maintenance, monitoring, and appropriate refurbishments are examined. Emphasis of R and D performed to characterize degradation mechanisms, support inspection and fitness for service guidelines are also briefly outlined.