Background
With nuclear power plants (NPPs) extending their licenses, there is a large backlog of work that must be performed prior to entering the period of extended operation. After the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) grants a plant a new license, the plant must fulfill a significant number of commitments before entering the period of extended operation. To satisfy all the commitments, many smaller tasks must be completed. Reductions in staff and a subsequent loss of experience are issues when completing the required commitments.
These commitments are vital in ensuring that passive plant equipment aging is adequately managed. The approval process includes the inspections and analyses needed to prove that the plant is effectively managing the aging and that the equipment will last through the period of extended operation.
Description
At Westinghouse, we provide the necessary services for many of the license renewal implementation activities that plants must complete to successfully pass the NRC Post-Renewal Inspection. Those services include:
- Completing of nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) and most balance of plant (BOP) license renewal commitments for pressurized water reactor (PWR) or boiling water reactor (BWR) reactor types
- Developing new or revising current aging management programs and procedures
- Analyzing systems to determine inspection locations to support the one-time inspection program
- Supporting and training of license renewal implementation personnel
- Augmenting of plant staff with experienced license renewal personnel to reduce utility staff workload and staffing needs
- Performing studies for refurbishing/replacing equipment to prepare for 60 years of service and beyond
- Inspecting systems, structures and components in order to complete license renewal commitments
- Resolution of remaining open time-limited aging analyses
Experience
Westinghouse personnel have been integrally involved with all aspects of the license renewal process since its inception. An international aging management project was recently completed by Westinghouse that implemented the methodologies and standards employed by current license renewal projects. To stay current with industry issues, Westinghouse participates in the license renewal industry working groups and attends industry functions. As the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the majority of the U.S. operating nuclear power plant fleet, we’ve performed design analyses for Westinghouse-supplied equipment.
This experience provides us with a unique ability to address both design-related and time-limited aging issues within the scope of a single project.With our own BOP/plant engineering team and our teaming arrangements with The Shaw Group, we can perform analyses outside of our traditional PWR NSSS scope, reaching into the BOP and BWR fields. Along with these analyses, we can perform your plant and system walkdowns as well as inspect any and all areas needed to fulfill the NRC requirements for your renewed operating license.
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