Assessment of Cable Aging Equipment, Status of Acquired Materials, and Experimental Matrix at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Fifield, Leonard S.; Westman, Matthew P.; Zwoster, Andy; Schwenzer, Birgit

doi:10.2172/1182945

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Determination of key indicators of cable aging. This has largely been addressed in earlier reports (Simmons et al 2014;Fifield et al 2015;Ramuhalli et al 2015).…”

Section: Project Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 79%

State of the Art Assessment of NDE Techniques for Aging Cable Management in Nuclear Power Plants FY2015

Glass

Fifield

Dib

et al. 2015

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This milestone report presents an update on the state-of-the-art review and research being conducted to identify key indicators of cable aging at nuclear power plants (NPPs), and devise in-situ measurement techniques that are sensitive to these key indicators. The motivation for this study stems from the need to address open questions related to nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of aging cables for degradation detection and estimation of condition-based remaining service life. These questions arise within the context of a second round of license extension for NPPs that would extend the operating license from 60 to 80 years. Within the introduction, a review of recent published U.S. and international research and guidance for cable aging management programs including NDE technologies is provided. As with any "state-of-the-art" report, the observations are deemed accurate as of the publication date but cannot anticipate evolution of the technology. Moreover, readers are advised that research and development of cable NDE technology is an ongoing issue of global concern.Cable safety factors offer significant margin for normal operation and consequently most cables can be expected to perform satisfactorily under normal loads. Cables are inherently tested as part of the regular system tests that are periodically performed on nuclear plant systems and active components. As emphasized in Regulatory Guide 1.128, the cable aging management program focuses on the ability of a cable to withstand extreme stresses such as in a design-basis event (DBE) that may not be addressed with normal system tests. Degradation of the electrical insulation and other cable components are key issues that are likely to affect the ability of the currently installed cables to operate safely and reliably under a DBE for another 20 to 40 years beyond the initial qualified operating life. With more than 1000 km of power, control, instrumentation, and other cables typically found in a NPP, it would be a daunting undertaking to inspect all of the cables. Practical guidelines, however, have been developed and are evolving that offer a manageable approach to sampling and screening cables based on accessibility, risk, history, and other factors. Moreover, the range of cables and conditions plus today's state of the art does not support a single test to assure the cable's function. Rather, a range of testing tools must be applied to manage the cable aging concerns and assure that degraded cables are repaired or replaced prior to the end of their safe operating life. Cable aging management program recommendations include a database of cables selected for test and trending including the required appropriate cable test based on accessibility, risk, and environment. Such tests include bulk electrical characteristic measurements that can be made from the cable ends and, in some cases, locate the weak portion of the cable as well as local tests to confirm insulation condition and provide guidance to predict remaining available safe life.The Pacific Northwest Nat...

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“…Determination of key indicators of cable aging. This has largely been addressed in earlier reports (Simmons et al 2014;Fifield et al 2015;Ramuhalli et al 2015).…”

Section: Project Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 79%

State of the Art Assessment of NDE Techniques for Aging Cable Management in Nuclear Power Plants FY2015

Glass

Fifield

Dib

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Determination of key indicators of cable aging. This has largely been addressed in earlier reports (Ramuhalli et al 2015;Simmons et al 2014;Fifield et al 2015).…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 81%

Interdigital Capacitance Local Non-Destructive Examination of Nuclear Power Plant Cable for Aging Management Programs

Glass

Fifield

Bowler

et al. 2018

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This Pacific Northwest National Laboratory milestone report describes progress to date on the investigation of non-destructive test methods focusing on local cable insulation and jacket testing using an interdigital capacitance (IDC) approach. Earlier studies have assessed a number of non-destructive examination (NDE) methods for bulk, distributed, and local cable tests. A typical test strategy is to perform bulk assessments of the cable response using dielectric spectroscopy, Tan , or partial discharge followed by distributed tests like time domain reflectometry or frequency domain reflectometry to identify the most likely defect location followed by a local test that can include visual inspection, indenter modulus tests, or Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) or Near Infrared Spectroscopy FTIR (FTNIR). If a cable is covered with an overlaying jacket, the jacket's condition is likely to be more severely degraded than the underlying insulation. None of the above local test approaches can be used to evaluate insulation beneath a cable jacket. Since the jacket's function is neither structural nor electrical, a degraded jacket may not have any significance regarding the cable's performance or suitability for service. IDC measurements offer a promising alternative or complement to these local test approaches including the possibility to test insulation beneath an overlaying jacket.

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“…where K is the Boltzmann constant (8.62*10 À5 eV/K), b is assumed as 0.457, b is the heat rate (K/min), and T is the 5% weight loss temperature (K). The 5% weight loss temperature was measured at various heating rates (5,10,15, and 20 C/min), and the E a of the fluoroelastomer was calculated to 1.09 eV. Accelerated thermal aging was conducted at 140 C for 176.10 h to simulate the operation conditions of the fluoroelastomer seal in the emergency reactor depressurization valve (ERDV) at 54.4 C for 60 years.…”

Section: Degradation Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of heat and gamma radiation on the degradation behaviour of fluoroelastomer in a simulated severe accident environment

Song

Lee

Ryu

et al. 2022

Nuclear Engineering and Technology

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Assessment of Cable Aging Equipment, Status of Acquired Materials, and Experimental Matrix at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

State of the Art Assessment of NDE Techniques for Aging Cable Management in Nuclear Power Plants FY2015

State of the Art Assessment of NDE Techniques for Aging Cable Management in Nuclear Power Plants FY2015

Interdigital Capacitance Local Non-Destructive Examination of Nuclear Power Plant Cable for Aging Management Programs

Effects of heat and gamma radiation on the degradation behaviour of fluoroelastomer in a simulated severe accident environment

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