PLIM support R and D programme of Russian Minatom

Full text: The life management of nuclear power plants is methodology and practice of ensuring profitable and safe operation of nuclear power facilities. The ideology of the plant life management process is optimisation of the 'profit-to-safety' ratio. The world experience in the operation of nuclear power plants shows that the task of improving performance and safety of any plant can be fulfilled only if it covers the whole plant life. The programme of nuclear power development in Russia in 1998 - 2005 and in the period to 2010, endorsed by the Russian Government, gives nuclear power a leading role in providing for the growth of electricity production. Much attention is paid to the wide introduction of the life management practice. With this in view, Minatom of Russia announced that the basic conceptual approach in this area for the strategic perspective would be a scientific and technical approach, which treats the whole plant life, from design through decommissioning, as one continued process. Life management is a complicated integrated process which involves multi-factor analysis and making of important decisions. When considering the list of the main typical works for PLIM, one can notice that the structure of a full volume of works can be presented as the sum of two constituents: specific for a particular power unit and universal one. A specific constituent implies realising the PLIM process at a particular power unit. When performing these works for a particular power unit, knowledge and technologies not only of extremely specific but more universal nature are used, and the last we call a supporting basis. Improving and enhancement of this basis are the main point of the universal constituent, in which the following main tasks can be singled out: development and improvement of the normative and methodical documents focused on assurance of PLIM works on power units of the operating NPPs; development and improvement of monitoring systems, diagnostics, collection of initial data and databases for assurance of the equipment life time extension; development of research base for the substantiation of normative and methodical documents on PLIM; verification and certification of software and data for execution of PLIM works. PLIM support R and D programme of Russian Minatom is directed on the decision of these tasks. The programme provides creation of the block of normative and methodical documents, algorithms and databases which should allow to manage life cycle of the equipment and elements of NPPs, and also should ensure the scientific and technical substantiation of NPP units safety. (author)