Efficiency and prospects for the implementation of measures for qualification of equipment important for safety in domestic nuclear energetics

Abstract

The results of implementing equipment qualification are analyzed. Such equipment is critical for the nuclear and technical safety of domestic nuclear power plants that are especially important for the implementation of the Program for extending the terms of out-of-project operation of power reactors that are capable of being used as powerful sources of electricity. Based on the comparison of published reliability indicators of domestic nuclear power plants before and after implementing the qualification, it is shown that still there are problems to be solved. The perspective of further enhancing the reliability of the operation of domestic nuclear energetics is considered, by implementing radiation functional testing methods that are been developed at the INR NAS of Ukraine for a long period. The basis of this method is detailed research and operational control of all processes that occur in critical equipment in any operating modes of nuclear reactors to form a resource history of the equipment and to provide operational information about the remaining resource and the expected time of its failure to an on-line object operator.