Fuel channel life monitoring

Fuel Channel Material Monitoring and Assessment Tool (FCMAT) is an application used to integrate and analyze the fuel channel (FC) and pressure tube (PT) material and inspection information. FCMAT provides information to users in graphical or tabular form, and can compare both new and historical data with model predictions and engineering limits. Previously, engineers, scientists, analysts and field personnel in the CANDU FC community would manually extract historical FC data from one or more databases or from FC history dockets, and manually enter it into an analysis tool. Next, the data would be used to generate appropriate graphs in comparing new and historical data with model predictions and engineering limits, based on specific needs. FCMAT automates many of these manual activities, thereby allowing the users to concentrate on data interpretation and the problem solving process. The purpose of the software is to provide a single interface to FC-related data, models and engineering limits to aid in the assessment of PT and FC integrity of CANDU reactors. It serves as the information exchange between the station engineers, scientists, and analysts. FCMAT displays FC data while predicting future FC conditions via predictive models and is capable of integrating all FC data, models, and engineering limits under one intuitive tool. This paper provides a description of FCMAT, with specific details regarding its application and performance. (author)