Abstract

This lecture will present something of the significant ageing issues and R&D that is carried out in support of long term operation of the UK AGR Nuclear Fleet. It will cover the most important ageing mechanisms that are likely to influence plant life and the principal degradation issues that affect some the key and often irreplaceable plant components. The presentation will give some examples of particular issues that have arisen with the AGRs, together with their resolution; it will also say something about inspection and monitoring techniques. It will cover some of the various assessment techniques that have been developed and are being used to predict future plant performance and to underpin safety cases to extend plant life. This includes supporting experimental programmes to underpin assessments and validate methods.