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There are an extensive body of knowledge and some commercial products available for calculating prognostics, remaining useful life, and damage index parameters. The application of these technologies within the nuclear power community is still in its infancy. Online monitoring and condition-based maintenance is seeing increasing acceptance and deployment, and these activities provide the technological bases for expanding to add predictive/prognostics capabilities. In looking to deploy prognostics there are three key aspects of systems that are presented and discussed: component/system/structure selection, prognostic algorithms, and prognostics architectures. Criteria are presented for component selection: feasibility, failure probability, consequences of failure, and benefits of the prognostics and health management (PHM) system. The basis and methods commonly used for prognostics algorithms are reviewed and summarized. Criteria for evaluating PHM architectures are presented: open, modular architecture; platform independence; graphical user interface for system development and/or results viewing; web-enabled tools; scalability; and standards compatibility.Thirteen software products were identified and discussed in the context of being potentially useful for deployment in a PHM program applied to systems in a nuclear power plant (NPP). These products were evaluated by using information available from company websites, product brochures, fact sheets, scholarly publications, and direct communication with vendors. The thirteen products were classified into four groups of software: research tools, PHM system development tools, deployable architectures, and peripheral tools. Eight software tools fell into the deployable architectures category. Of those eight, only two employ all six modules of a full PHM system. Five systems did not offer prognostic estimates, and one system employed the full health monitoring suite but lacked operations and maintenance support. Each product is briefly described in Appendix A, "Assessment Criteria." Selection of the most appropriate software package for a particular application will depend on the chosen component, system, or structure. Ongoing research will determine the most appropriate choices for a successful demonstration of PHM systems in aging NPPs.iv v SUMMARYAt the start of 2011, there were 439 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the commercial global fleet; these plants started operation with 30-or 40-year licenses. The 104 NPPs in the United States represent about 10% of the installed capacity and currently provide about 20% of U.S. electricity. They have become highly efficient with an average capacity factor in excess of 91%, and they are a key element in the delivery of base-load electricity. They were originally licensed for 40 years, and a process has been established to enable license extension, to permit operation from 40 to 60 years. As of July 2011, license extensions have been granted for 71 plants at 40 sites. An additional 13 plants at nine sites are currently ...

In support of expanding the use of nuclear power, interest is growing in methods of determining the feasibility of longer term operation for the U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants, particularly operation beyond 60 years. To help establish the scientific and technical basis for such longer term operation, the DOE-NE has established a research and development (R&D) objective. This objective seeks to develop technologies and other solutions that can improve the reliability, sustain the safety, and extend the life of current reactors. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, which addresses the needs of this objective, is being developed in collaboration with industry R&D programs to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe, and economical operation of nuclear power plants. The LWRS Program focus is on longer-term and higher-risk/reward research that contributes to the national policy objectives of energy and environmental security.In moving to identify priorities and plan activities, the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Workshop on On-Line Monitoring (OLM) Technologies was held June 10-12, 2010, in Seattle, Washington. The workshop was run to enable industry stakeholders and researchers to identify the nuclear industry needs in the areas of future OLM technologies and corresponding technology gaps and research capabilities. It also sought to identify approaches for collaboration that would be able to bridge or fill the technology gaps. This report is the meeting proceedings, documenting the presentations and discussions of the workshop and is intended to serve as a basis for a plan which is under development that will enable the I&C research pathway to achieve its goals.Benefits to the nuclear industry accruing from On Line Monitoring Technology cannot be ignored. Information gathered thus far has contributed significantly to the Department of Energy's Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. DOE has shown great interest in supplying necessary support to help this industry to move forward as indicated by the recent workshop conducted in support of this interest. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Workshop on On-Line Monitoring Technologies provided an opportunity for industry stakeholders and researchers to gather in order to collectively identify the nuclear industry's needs in the areas of OLM technologies including diagnostics, prognostics, and RUL. Additionally, the workshop provided the opportunity for attendees to pinpoint technology gaps and research capabilities along with the fostering of future collaboration in order to bridge the gaps identified. Attendees concluded that a research and development program is critical to future nuclear operations. Program activities would result in enhancing and modernizing the critical capabilities of instrumentation, information, and control technologies for long-term nuclear asset operation and management. Adopting a comprehensive On Line Monitoring research program intends to:Develop national capab...

Use of online monitoring technologies and the development of diagnostic and prognostic methodologies have drawn tremendous interest in the nuclear industry. It has become important to identify and resolve problems with structures, systems, and components to ensure plant safety, efficiency, and immunity to accidents in the aging fleet of reactors. The Machine Condition Monitoring (MCM) test bed at INL will be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of advancements in online monitoring, sensors, diagnostic and prognostic technologies on a pilot-scale plant that mimics the hydraulics of a nuclear plant. As part of this research project, INL will research available prognostics architectures and their suitability for deployment in a nuclear power plant. In addition, INL will provide recommendations to improve the existing diagnostic and prognostic architectures based on the experimental analysis performed on the MCM test bed.

It is essential to have an effective treatment program and control methodology for a nuclear power plant cooling water system. As the accumulation and growth of cooling water deposits reduce the overall heat transfer coefficient and have an adverse effect on the operation of equipments, plant availability, production, and maintenance cost. The study aims at evaluationof using a primary treatment unit debris filter as a controlling of fouling formation, in a nuclear power plant located in coastal area. Selecting Sedi kerir, and Sidi Abdelrahman cooling water channel for the proposed nuclear power plant. Samples of the two selected sites had been taken and some physicochemical and biological parameters were analyzed such as (pH, total alkalinity, total dissolved solids, suspended solids, temperature and total count of microalgae). A mathematical model has been used also in order to help in evaluation of the suggested pretreatment unit. The results has showed that sea water temperature used at the two selected sites (Sidi kerir, and Sidi Abdelrahman below 125 0 F that mean low fouling factor, also the measured physicochemical and biological parameter concentrations at the proposed two selected sites increase the probability of fouling formation at these sites. As a using of suggested debris filter pretreatment unit for cooling water at the two selected sites, will help in decreasing the probability of fouling formation at these site.