Quality Management- The Key to Inherent Safety and Reliability of Prototype fast Breeder Reactor

Abstract

The term "Quality management" has a specific meaning within many business sectors. Quality has metamorphosed from the synonyms of "Customer satisfaction" to "Customer delight", thriving for excellence in every sphere of business with continuous improvements. In today's business scenario, more often quality is perceived as "Fitness for purpose "focusing on the customer. But there is horizon beyond this as, "quality" is always intertwined with "safety and reliability" if the nature of the business is perilous. The prime focus for any nuclear industry is about the safety and reliability which can be accomplished only through the inherent quality. The quality embarks right from the construction phase of the nuclear power plant till the decommissioning and the four main components i.e. quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement trek alongside. The high temperature low pressure system of fast breeder reactors using sodium as the coolant demands very high reliability and high degree of quality during each and every stage of construction of all the individual components for trouble free operation of the reactor for the committed years. The "Quality Assurance (QA)" plan of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is unique. The reactor being first of its kind in India, quality assurance starts right from the raw material procurement and extends through all the stages of plant till commissioning. The principal material of construction being stainless steel for the reactor components shall be handled with care following best engineering practices coupled with stringent QA requirements to avoid stress corrosion cracking in the highly brackish environment. Integranular stress corrosion cracking and hot cracking are additional factors to be addressed for the welding of stainless steel components. The low alloy ferritic steel like 9Cr-1Mo (mod) has been extensively deployed and the fabrication requires structured inspection, testing and QA plan. Corrosion protection and preservation during fabrication, erection and post erection is mandatory be it reinforcement bar or a reactor vessel.