Countermeasures against aging of electrical and mechanical components in nuclear power plants

Appropriate monitoring and inspection of the electrical and mechanical components of a nuclear power plant leads to the need for programmed countermeasures, such as proper repair and replacement of aging components, to reduce plant malfunction incidents and improve plant reliability. Toshiba is devoting efforts to analyzing the relationships between component operating periods and aging characteristics, improving equipment maintenance based on aging characteristics, and developing component residual life evaluation technology. This paper outlines the philosophy and present status of countermeasures against the aging of electrical and mechanical components in nuclear power plants. (author)