The management of aging in nuclear power plant concrete structures

Naus, D.J.

doi:10.1007/s11837-009-0100-0

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…For this reason, intensive effort has been dedicated worldwide to the development of materials, which can withstand high operating temperatures, high irradiation dose rates, and contact with chemically aggressive fluids such as molten metals and metal halides (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, 2013). As older reactors continue to undergo service extension programs (Naus, 2009), material properties need to be investigated under long-term irradiation, thermal and mechanical loading. Extended service life of a nuclear reactor component is imperative because repairs are complex, difficult, and expensive and the consequences of material failure can be dramatic.…”

Section: Materials For Extreme Service Environments and The Importanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grand Challenges in Structural Materials

Provis

2015

Front. Mater.

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Section: Materials For Extreme Service Environments and The Importanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grand Challenges in Structural Materials

Provis

2015

Front. Mater.

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“…However, several cases of degradation are known from operating experience, and include cracking, spalling, corrosion of rebars, water infiltration, etc. Other known degradation modes in concrete (in NPPs and elsewhere) include chloride attack, alkali-silica reactions, sulfate attack, carbonation, freeze-thaw, dry-out, shrinkage, creep, thermal fatigue, aggregate growth, decomposition of water, and leaching of calcium (Naus 2009). In many cases, deterioration can be accelerated by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple degradation mechanisms.…”

Section: Concretementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many cases, deterioration can be accelerated by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple degradation mechanisms. Experience with concrete structures in nuclear environments indicates that prolonged exposure to irradiation and/or high temperature can result in decrease in tensile and compressive strength which can compromise the performance of the concrete structure, and potentially degrade shielding effectiveness (Shah and Hookham 1998;Norris et al 1999;Naus 2009). The properties of concrete depend on the behavior of the coarse aggregate material used in the mix, resulting in differing properties due to differences in concrete composition, which further complicates inspection and degradation detection.…”

Section: Concretementioning

confidence: 99%

Prognostics and Health Management in Nuclear Power Plants: A Review of Technologies and Applications

Coble¹,

Ramuhalli²,

Bond³

et al. 2012

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Recent years have seen a resurgence of nuclear power worldwide, with interest in extending the operating life of the approximately 436 reactors currently in service (as of March, 2012), 61 new reactors being constructed, and as many as 162 under consideration. Renewed worldwide interest in nuclear power has been somewhat tempered by the March 2011 incident at Fukushima Dai-ichi in Japan. However, nuclear power is still considered a key element in meeting future worldwide sustainable energy, energy security, and emissions goals. Currently, three separate thrusts to safe and economical nuclear power development for energy security are being pursued in the United States: (i) longer term operation for the legacy fleet, from 40-60 and possibly 60-80 years; (ii) near-term new nuclear plants with a 60-year design life; and (iii) small modular reactors, which are expected to employ light water reactor technology at least in the medium term. Within these activities, attention is turning to enhanced methods for plant component and structural health management.The operating U.S. fleet includes 104 light water reactors. In addition, there are now (as of May 2012) four new nuclear power plants (AP-1000 plants) under construction in the United States, and two delayed plants are being completed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. There is also interest in the United States in small modular reactors (SMRs), which could be easier to match to existing grid infrastructure and which could replace aging coal fired plants. The current low price for natural gas presents a challenge to the economics of nuclear power, at least in the short term; however, some recent studies have demonstrated that nuclear generation will be competitive in the longer term (at least in some markets) when anticipated escalation in gas prices and the cost of building, operating, and maintaining gas-fired plants are considered over those same time periods.This report reviews the current state of the art of prognostics and health management (PHM) for nuclear power systems and related technology currently applied in field or under development in other technological application areas, as well as key research needs and technical gaps for increased use of PHM in nuclear power systems. The historical approach to monitoring and maintenance in nuclear power plants (NPPs), including the Maintenance Rule for active components and Aging Management Plans for passive components, are reviewed. An outline is given for the technical and economic challenges that make PHM attractive for both legacy plants through Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) and new plant designs. There is a general introduction to PHM systems for monitoring, fault detection and diagnostics, and prognostics in other, non-nuclear fields. The state of the art for health monitoring in nuclear power systems is reviewed. A discussion of related technologies that support the application of PHM systems in NPPs, including digital instrumentation and control systems, wired and wireless sensor techno...

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“…A significant body of literature on concrete inspection exists within the civil engineering community [24,25], some of which reports methods than can be applied to some parts of a NPP. An extensive range of methods are now used in inspections [26] and a number of papers discuss the management of aging concrete structures in NPP [27]. In NPP, the containment presents the challenge of the size of the area that needs to be inspected, and issues regarding the meaning of "significant" degradation.…”

Section: Prognosticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in instrumentation for non-destructive testing and prognostics

Bond

Ramuhalli

Meyer

et al. 2011

2011 Future of Instrumentation International Workshop (FIIW) Proceedings

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There is growing interest in longer-term operation of the current US nuclear power plant fleet. This paper will discuss technologies needed to ensure safe and effective operation of the existing fleet. There will be an increased need for condition-based maintenance applied to active components. It is increasingly recognized that new and advanced sensors and systems will be needed to enable the move from current NDE, with periodic inspections and a find-and-fix approach, to prognostics: using online monitoring to enable operators to proactively manage systems with prediction of remaining useful life.

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The management of aging in nuclear power plant concrete structures

Cited by 21 publications

References 9 publications

Grand Challenges in Structural Materials

Grand Challenges in Structural Materials

Prognostics and Health Management in Nuclear Power Plants: A Review of Technologies and Applications

Advances in instrumentation for non-destructive testing and prognostics

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