Repair problems of NPPs

Performance characteristics and causes of NPP outages are considered. Basic measure of NPP operation efficiency - the capacity factor averaged by 309 power units in capitalist countries in 1986, is 65.7%. Annual power unit outages for refueling and inspection take 10-20% of calendar year. According to the IAEA data, analysis of 150 power unit operation has shown that 9.500 unplanned outages have been registered from 1971 to 1982, programs for NPP availability development function in some countries. Much attention is paid to theproblems on repair, which requires additional investment, because requirements to NPP safe-guarding became strict and forced outages are unprofitable