CSNI workshop on

Ageing Management of Fuel Cycle Facilities

Paris, France, 5-7 October 2009

Objectives

The objective of this workshop is to present practices on the safety aspects of the Ageing Management of Fuel Cycle Facilities (FCFs) in NEA member countries (MC). It will address the present situation, regulatory authorities and operators aspects, as well as experience and R&D activities.

Special emphasis will be given to the identification of the technical, human resources and administrative challenges related to ageing phenomena. Challenges will be addressed both by safety authorities (and their technical support organisations) and by FCF operating organisations, as well as the lessons learnet from experience regarding facility ageing, e.g. during the periodic safety reviews.

The workshop intends to facilitate information sharing to help understand the differences in ageing safety approaches, to identify potential discrepancies and to propose areas for progress.

Background

Nuclear fuel is produced, processed and stored mainly in industry-scale facilities where uranium ores are processed and refined, Uranium is converted and then enriched, nuclear fuel is fabricated (U fuel and U/Pu fuel for the closed cycle option) and spent fuel is stored and reprocessed (closed cycle option). Facilities dedicated to the research and development of new fuel or new processes are also considered as FCFs.

FCFs are getting older and the general trend, as for NPPs, is to have their operational life extended. As a consequence, the safe management of FCF ageing is coming increasingly into the focus of operators and safety regulators. Technical and administrative safety aspects of FCF ageing management have gained and will receive increased attention.

Numerous technical studies have been performed to study the impact of ageing degradation mechanisms on the safe and reliable operation of NPPs. What is the situation with the ageing management of FCFs? The CSNI and its Working Group on Fuel Cycle Safety (WGFCS) considered that there is a need to map the definitions, the regulatory framework and the identified safety challenges related to the management of FCF ageing.