Technology Trend in the Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants

In this paper, overall technology evolution is reviewed and the improvements in the plant safety, reliability and productivity are described. And the issue and some recommendation for better maintenance of Korean nuclear power plants are presented as the interim study results on the 'Management and Regulatory Policy for the Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance and Equipment Reliability' under the agreement with the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. The future trend in the maintenance technologies is also covered. Maintenance is the essential element for the enhancement of plant safety, reliability and economics and also for public safety. Therefore the regulator's involvements and the utility's active participation is inevitable for the better maintenance. For the better sustainability of our nuclear power plants the followings are recommended. ·Establishment of the good maintenance program and continuous improvement. ·Application of OLM on the safety related and non-safety related components by step-by-step approach. ·Improvement PRA technology for the accurate and reliable risk analysis. ·Continuous training and cultivation for the qualified maintenance personnel