Valve maintenance program development

Valve problems are generic to the nuclear industry, requiring increased attention as plants get older. At Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, which is now 20 years old, a proven approach is being utilized to obtain increased valve reliability and reduced maintenance costs. This report provides guidelines for developing an all-inclusive Valve Maintenance Program which is an integrated team effort that oversees and coordinates all valve activities at the plant. Valve maintenance, failure trending, root cause evaluations, spare parts, testing, procedures and training should all be included in the program. The goal is to perform the proper maintenance on critical plant valves at the proper frequency. An overall Valve Maintenance Program which oversees all site valve programs and provides information and coordination between these programs will be successful