OECD symposium on plant life extension: An overview of the technological aspects

In conjunction with the IAEA, the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (NEA/OECD) organized a four day Symposium on Plant Life Extension which was held in Paris in February 1987. The objectives of the symposium were to review experience in design and maintenance practices relevant to nuclear plant life extension, to identify life limiting factors and to discuss the viability of major refurbishment as an alternative to decommissioning and replacement. Participants had particularly been invited from the utilities, as operators of the plant, and manufacturers, as their suppliers, as opposed to government departments and regulators, to give emphasis to the economic rather than the safety aspects of plant life extension. The paper summarizes the discussion on the papers in the two sessions devoted to plant and component lifetimes and to refurbishment experience and monitoring. It outlines the discussion of the techniques for obtaining appropriate data from the plant during operation for accurate assessment of life usage and problem identification. Using the examples given at the symposium, the paper reviews the way these technical factors affect the decision to refurbish or to decommission and replant. (author)