Evolution of chemical specifications following the working group of international inter-comparison

As part of a continuous improvement process and the inclusion of Experience Feedback, EDF has launched a working group to analyse its reference of Chemical Specifications with regard to the guidelines of EPRI and VGB.. As a result of the analysis of over 1000 lines of specifications, a large number of recommendations were issued, referring either to control of new chemical parameters or to an enhancement of measurement frequencies. These recommendations are to be developed by preliminary studies which will provide supporting evidence for future decisions. To implement these recommendations, EDF launched a dedicated project in 2011, whose main objectives were to: - raise the requirements of chemical specifications in line with international standards and compare the technical basis of the different international standards, - strengthen monitoring and anticipation of corrective actions in the field of plant chemistry with a view to extending nuclear plant lifetime to 60 years. This project, scheduled for 2011 to 2016, covers the following activities: - studies on the technical background of the specifications (2011-14), - study of the possibility of adopting an 'Actions Levels' approach in EDF's own specifications (2012-14), - new propositions evolution of the specifications (2015-16). (authors)