SAFARI-1 RESEARCH REACTOR PLANT LIFE EXTENSION · PDF fileSAFARI-1 RESEARCH REACTOR PLANT LIFE EXTENSION AND AGEING MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (AMP) Phumzile Tshelane 5-7 October 2016 1st

SAFARI-1 RESEARCH REACTOR

PLANT LIFE EXTENSION AND

AGEING MANAGEMENT

PROGRAMME (AMP)

Phumzile Tshelane

5-7 October 2016

1st NNR Regulatory Information Conference

Presentation Outline

• Safari-1 Research Reactor Overview

• Ageing Management Plan

• Ageing Management Programme

– Mechanisms

– Management systems

– Methodology & assessments

– Projects

• Lessons learned

SAFARI-1 Overview

• SAFARI-1 20 MW Tank-in-Pool MTR reactor of ORR design light water moderated and cooled, Beryllium reflected

• The reactor has been in operation since 18 March 1965

• Impeccable safety and environmental record

• Certified ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSA 18001:2007

• >300 operational days per year

• Fully converted core to LEU in 2009 (LEU < 19.75%).

• Primary activities: Isotope production; NTD Si doping and beam port research activities

SAFARI-1 Fuel conversion to LEU

4

SAFARI-1 Ageing Management Plan

• The Plan’s purpose is to outline the methodology for

implementation of the AMP projects.

• The plan covers identified aspects of the ageing of the

SAFARI-1 RR taking into consideration, but not limited

to:-

Service Conditions

Anticipated Operational Occurrences

Environmental Conditions

• The current projected end of life of the facility at the

present rate of operation is end of 2030.

Ageing Management Program (AMP)

AMP at SAFARI-1 is based

on IAEA Guideline SSG-10

• Elements of AMP Management system for AM

Screening of SSCs

Identification and understanding of ageing degradations

Management of obsolescence

Technical aspects such as maintenance, periodic testing and inspection, periodic safety reviews, equipment qualification, etc.

Ageing Mechanisms

Ageing Mechanisms as defined in SSG 10 were used:

A. Radiation – change of properties

B. Temperature – change of properties

C. Creep due to stress/pressure

D. Mechanical displacement/fatigue/wear from vibration and cyclic loads

E. Material deposition (e.g. crud)

F. Flow induced erosion

G. Corrosion

H. Damage due to power excursions and operational events

I. Flooding – deposition and chemical contamination

J. Fire – effects of heat, smoke and reactive gases

K. Obsolescence and technology change

L. Change in requirements or acceptable standards

M. Other (time dependent phenomena)

Management systems for Ageing Management

The objective of the Management system as

applied to ageing management is to ensure that

the facility meets the requirements for safety as

derived from :-

The requirements of the regulatory body

Design requirements and assumptions

The Safety Analysis Report

Operational limits and conditions

The administrative requirements

The Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of SAFARI-1

• In SAR chapter 5 detailed descriptions are given of the various reactor systems and components

– Accordingly, all reactor structural components were designed to have a life time of over

40 years.

– Historically no test samples of the core box material have been irradiated at SAFARI-1 in

order to provide data on the irradiation limit for the material, but it is possible to draw

some parallels with a similar vessel at HFR Reactor at Petten in the Netherlands, which was

replaced in 1985.

– Both the SAFARI-1 and the previous HFR Petten reactor vessels were manufactured from

5000 series aluminium alloy.

– Subsequent destructive testing of that region of the old HFR Petten vessel was reported in

1989 (IAEA-SM-310/69P). The main conclusion of this report was that the test results

showed reasonable agreement with the expected mechanical properties estimated for the

safe end-of-life assessment of the old HFR Petten vessel.

– At the end of September 2007 the operation of SAFARI-1 totalled 2,59x106 MWh. Based on

the Petten report, the exposure limit for the SAFARI-1 vessel therefore translates to a total

operation for SAFARI-1 of 4,63x106 MWh.

– As at September 2007 the SAFARI-1 reactor has operated for 56% of this proposed safety

limit. It was therefore said that the SAFARI-1 reactor could take another 13.6 years to

equal the MWh lifetime of the Petten reactor, given that SAFARI-1 operates at 20 MW for

only 86% of the time.

Methodology & Assessment

• Establish an Evaluation Team from all relevant disciplines (e.g. Safety, Engineering, Operations,

RP, Quality) to assess ageing and formulated remedial actions.

• Develop an Ageing Matrix

– Identify Ageing Mechanisms

– Evaluate applicability and effect of all Ageing Mechanisms to all SSC relevant to safety and operational

sustainability

• Identify projects to remedy effect of Ageing Mechanisms on SSC

• Prioritise projects for implementation

– Based on Impact Factors and Urgency Factors

• Impact Factors (I) : Reportable Nuclear Event, Radiological Exposure, Injury, Environmental Impact, License

Compliance, Lifetime Limitations, Public Non-Acceptance, etc.

• Urgency Factors (U) : Time when project outcome is needed less time of project completion

• Priority = I X U and ranges from 0 to 100%

• Implement Projects by Priority

• Re-evaluate effectiveness of Implementation

Identification of Remedial Actions

Ageing Management at SAFARI-1 focuses on:

• SSCs important to safety – Safety Critical

• SSCs important to sustainability and production – Mission Critical

• Lifetime Extension of the facility

• Organisational – Procedures, Management Systems and Resources

A remedial action is formulated as an action, a small project, a major project or multiple projects addressing one or more ageing-related issues)

SAFARI-1 AM SCCs groupings

SSCs were grouped into:

1. Reactor block, fuel and internals

2. Cooling systems

3. Confinement and containment

4. Instrumentation and controls

5. Power supply

6. Auxiliaries (e.g. fire protection, crane, hot cells and radioactive waste handling)

7. Experimental facilities

8. Structures

9. Non SSC: – Documentation e.g. SAR, OTS, design and project control,

management systems; and

– Staff training etc.

Lifetime Extension - Ageing Projects

• Reactor Vessel lifetime assessment Ongoing assessments are being conducted to predict lifetime

expectation of the SAFARI-1 facility

• ISI ( In-service Inspections) Ongoing ISI activities i.e.. Under water visual inspections with

dedicated cameras

Some UT / NDE / Eddy current testing

• Ongoing upgrading of the Reactor Instrumentation equipment

Upgrades /Refurbishment /Modification – Ageing Projects

• Instrumentation Projects in progress Nuclear Safety Channel - Completed

Area Monitoring System Upgrade

Automatic Flux Controller Refurbishment

– ready to be commissioned

Neutron Control Channel Refurbishment

Gamma Safety Channel Upgrade

Rod Drop monitor Upgrade

• Some Refurbishment /Modernisation projects in progress Ventilation system refurbishment

Stack monitoring system upgrade

R1 and R2 Liquid effluent Tanks upgrade

Summary: Status of Projects

• Projects Identified: 151

• Completed Projects: 34

• Remaining Projects: 117

• The plan is to complete remaining crucial High

Priority Projects within next 2 – 5 financial years

Lessons Learned

In reviewing the aging management and life extension efforts several of experiences include:

• Integrating aging management and maintenance requirements – careful management to avoid duplication of effort and non-effective maintenance tasks

• Developing a long-term maintenance strategy – linking asset management to maintenance strategy with the objective to preserve the assets as long as economically feasible

• Reducing component failures – being proactive to identify incipient failures, precursors, and age related degradation.

• Effectiveness of condition monitoring – improving the application of diagnostic analysis to prevent failures

• Establishing appropriate inspection procedures

• Aging management of inaccessible equipment (since replacement and repair is not usually an economically feasible option)

• Sharing experiences by tracking generic failures and monitoring effectiveness of aging management activities

• Implementing pilot projects to evaluate the effectiveness of new requirements and processes

THANK YOU