Technical co-operation with Central and Eastern European countries with special focus on engineering aspects of lifetime optimization

A regional Technical Co-operation project for Central and Eastern European countries was established and funded by the IAEA to improve long term integrity of primary circuit components as a fundamental technical prerequisite to ensure plant operation until or beyond the design lifetime. In a series of workshops and technical meetings, issues relevant to primary circuit component structural integrity with special regard to operational life optimisation and meet the region's needs, have been being addressed. Among the key issues are: flaw detection and sizing methods, requirements and their application in lifetime evaluation; improvement of in-service inspection effectiveness; component condition monitoring; evaluation of material degradation; application of leak-before-break concept; integrity assessment technologies. The project is implemented in co-operation with the European Commission's integrity related PHARE and TACIS projects. (author)