EPRI’s Research for Effective Aging Management Programs
- Autores: Sherry Bernhoft
- Localización: Nuclear España: Revista de la Sociedad Nuclear española, ISSN 1137-2885, Nº. 397, 2018, págs. 26-30
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
-
Resumen
This article outlines the importance of AMPs for LTO; provides a summary of EPRI’s aging management research;
and makes the case for broad international collaboration for safe, reliable, and economic long-term operations.
Because nuclear plants in the United States are, on average, 5-10 years older than nuclear plants in Europe and Asia, their operating experience and management philosophy informed the development of the first set of AMPs required for license renewal by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Those AMPs helped create the U.S. GALL report, which became a starting point and forerunner for the IAEA IGALL report.
More than 60% of the world’s 446 nuclear reactors are more than 30 years of age and are currently facing the critical decision of life extension. In the United States, the NRC may issue licenses for up to a 40-year operating life with a 20-year renewal period, and today, more than 80% of the U.S. plants have had their licenses extended from 40 to 60 years (Figure 1).
Several utilities in the U.S. are in the process of submitting applications to the NRC for “subsequent” or second license renewal for 60 to 80 years.
