Ageing Management for Long Term Operation of Spent Fuel Facilities

Fabbri, S.; Vega, G.; Versaci, R.

COMISION NACIONAL DE ENERGA ATOMICA (CNEA) ARGENTINA

International Experts Meeting on Reactor and Spent Fuel Safety in the Light of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
Vienna, 19-22 March 2012

CONTENTS

- INTRODUCTION

- ATUCHA I Wet Spend Fuel Storage

- AGEING MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES - CONCLUSIONS

ARGENTINA NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

ATUCHA I NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

EMBALSE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ATUCHA II NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

ATUCHA I NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

ATUCHA I TECHNICAL FEATURES

Designer: Siemens AG Commercial activity since 1974 Gross Power: 370 MWe

Reactor: Pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR)

252 vertical fuel channels. Fuel: natural Uranium (UO2), low enriched uranium (0.85 % 235U) in-service reloading. Moderator & Coolant: D2O

EMBALSE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

EMBALSE TECHNICAL FEATURES

Designer: AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada

Limited) Commercial activity since January 1984 Gross Power: 648 MWe (self consumption 48 Mwe) Load Factor 88,25. Reactor: CANDU - 380 Pressurized D2O Horizontal Pressure Tubes

Fuel: natural Uranium (UO2), in-service reloading.

Moderator & Coolant: D2O

Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant

ATUCHA II TECHNICAL FEATURES

Designer: Siemens AG
UNDER CONSTRUCION Gross Power: 740 MWe Reactor: Pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) Fuel: natural Uranium (UO2), in-service reloading. Moderator & Coolant: D2O

ATUCHA I and ATUCHA II

Atucha I Wet Spent Fuel Storage Facility Atucha I-Fuel elements characteristics Fuel type: Natural uranium dioxide. Number of fuel elements: 252 Number of fuel rods: 36 Fuel weight: 152.5 kg U/ assembly Total weight: 210 kg Fuel rod length: 5650 mm Active length: 5295 mm Total length: 6180 mm Cross-section diameter: 108 mm Cladding material: Zircaly-4 Structural components (head and foot): Austenitic steel Spacer: Inconel

Fuel elements characteristics

From August of 2001 all the fuels of Atucha I are of Natural uranium dioxide, with slightly (0.85%) enriched U. The burnup increase from 5900 MWd/Tu to 11300 V3 MWd/Tu and the numbers of fuel elements burned per V1 C2 year decreased from 430.3 to 230. V6
V4 C1

C3

Atucha I Pools Houses

Atucha I has two pools houses.

Pool House 1 has three individual pools. One is for operations. The other two are decay and storage pools

Pool House 2 there are five pools, one for operation and four for decay and storage.

Atucha I Pools Houses

The supporting structures of the pools are made of concrete with stainless steel liners.

The pools are equipped with an emergency spillways.

Atucha I Reactor and Pools Houses

Pools in House 1

Atucha I Wet Spent Fuel Storage Facility

AGEING MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Pools systems

Purification and cooling water system of the pools was designed to maintain the temperature of the storage pool below the 32 C, under normal conditions of operation.

Purification and cooling water system function

To maintain the purity and cleaning of the water to allow the observation during the handling operations of the burned fuel under the water.

To provide an appropriate capacity of extraction of radioactive material in suspension and dissolved of the water to allow the access to the work areas.

Purification and cooling water system function

To maintain a level of water minimum in the pools to assure appropriate shielding during all the phases of the handling procedures and storage of burned fuel.

To reduces to the minimum acceptable the blended of the water of the storage pools with that of operations.

Ageing Management Programme

The fundamental point here is to keep in mind that the effects of ageing produce changes in the characteristics of a System, Structure or Component (SSC)

Ageing Management Programme

We employ formal processes to systematically identify and evaluate the Critical Systems, Structures and Components (CSSCs) in the facility.

Methodology
PLAN Improve AMP effectiveness 2. Coordination of SSC ageing management programme Coordinating ageing management activities: * Document regulatory requirements and safety criteria. * Document relevant activities * Describe coordination mechanism * Optimize AMP based on current understanding, selfassessment and peer reviews Minimize expected degradation

ACT 5. SSC maintenance Managing ageing effects * Preventive maintenance * Corrective maintenance * Spare parts management * Replacement * Maintenance history

1.Understanding SSC ageing The key to effective ageing management * Materials and material properties * Stressors and operating conditions * Ageing mechanisms * Degradation sites * Conditions indicators * Consequences of ageing degradation and failures

DO 3. SSC operation/use Managing ageing mechanisms: * Operation according to procedures and technical specifications * Chemical control * Operating history, including transient records

Correct Unacceptable degradation

4. SSC inspection, monitoring and assessments Detecting and assessing ageing effects: *Test and calibration * In-service inspection * Surveillance * Leak detection * Assessment of functional capability/fitness for service * Record keeping

CHECK Check for degradation

Facility Performance

CONCRETE WALL DEGRADATION

For all the structures either pools we carries out only visual inspection it showed that don't present fissures, ruptures or shelling. The structure is in perfect state.

Facility Performance

POOLS LINERS The pools liners doesn't present signs of corrosion. METAL STRUCTURE INTEGRITY

The metal structure doesn't present signs of corrosion.

STORAGE RACKS DEGRADATION The storage racks doesn't present degradation signs.

FACILITY AFTER 38 YEARS OPERATION

The facility can be operated in the safely for long term with the normal inspections, surveillance, maintenance and replacements. All this information must be retained for the entire life of the storage facility.

CONCLUSIONS

For LTO we are concerned about: Not only must this information be retained, it must also be riadable and understandable to future generations.

CONCLUSIONS

For LTO we are concerned about: Concrete stability in the very long term.

Seismic Risk

Atucha I spent fuel storage Very high Very low

Many thanks for your attention Many thanks for your attention