An aging management program focused on the full utilization of existing licenses

An Aging Management Enhancement Program has been developed to identify and mitigate the risk and uncertainties that unusual, accelerated, or previously unanticipated aging of Systems, Structures, and Components pose to the continued long term safe, economic, and reliable operation of nuclear facilities. This paper defines a process intended to enhance the understanding and control of the aging of systems, structures, and components (SSCs). The program is selective and proactive. It largely employs the experience and knowledge of personnel that have hands-on responsibility for engineering, maintaining, and operating the facility. The identification of SSCs and associated age related degradation mechanisms (ARDMs) that present future vulnerabilities to a plant allow focused actions to be implemented to remedy or abate the risk prior to the aging degradation adversely impacting plant operation. Selection of structures and components susceptible to accelerated aging degradation and appropriate remedial corrective and/or preventive actions are based on a recognized need to achieve a balance between plant safety, plant economics, and plant reliability. (author)