Influence of operational data evaluation on the enhancement of nuclear power plant safety and availability

In the GDR, nuclear energy plays an ever increasing role for both electricity generation and heat supply. The high safety-related and economic requirements in this respect can only be met by a complete system of plant monitoring. This includes the recording and analysis of all available primary data resulting in measures which ensure safe and economical operation. The integral system employed at the Greifswald nuclear power plant is presented by means of some selected examples. They demonstrate the evaluation of events (disturbances, damage) affecting the availability, on the one hand, and the effectiveness of noise analysis as a method of early failure detection, on the other. The efficiency of the latter procedure is explained in the light of concrete events. As a result of the employed methods annual availabilities of more than 80% could be achieved with WWER-440 reactors. (author)