Life extension research at Sandia National Laboratories

As part of the Department of Energy (DOE) plant life extension (PLEX) effort, the DOE Technology Management Center at Sandia is actively participating in life extension research efforts. In the areas of reliability and surveillance, systems modelling techniques are being explored to identify those components which, if their reliability changes, could most impact safety. Results of an application of these techniques to the Surry nuclear plant were compared to an industry life extension categorization also performed at Surry. For selected types of components identified during this study, the degradation and failure mechanisms are being explored and state-of-the-art monitoring techniques are being evaluated. Initial results are presented. In the area of cable life extension, a definition study is under way to define utility-specific as well as collective industry actions that would facilitate extending cable life. Some recommendations of this study are also provided.