Nuclear power plant operations

Day-to-day nuclear power plant operations cause wear and tear on parts and equipment. This makes safety a daily priority. TÜV SÜD can help you with in-service inspections, periodic safety reviews, nuclear power plant maintenance, equipment ageing management plans and more. 

With increasing renewable sources in the energy mix, nuclear plants often balance the energy mix through load following operations. This means components experience more intense use, making it vital that you always have safety in mind. 

In addition, you need a planned schedule of preventative maintenance, repair and refurbishment to ensure continued safe operation. This also helps extend plant lifetime.

TÜV SÜD is a globally recognised name in the nuclear industry. We have provided exceptional quality, in-depth insight and implementation of industry standards for more than 60 years. 

As an expert organisation for the surveillance of German nuclear power plants (NPP), we have extensive experience in the design, licensing, construction, operation and decommissioning of NPPs. 

We provide objective and impartial technical consulting for NPPs along the entire project lifecycle. Our experience encompasses a wide range of national and international standards, guidelines and procedures for nuclear power generation. 

By adopting an integrated approach, we ensure a top-level view of the safety, availability and reliability of all structures, systems and components (SCC). 

TÜV SÜD’s comprehensive services for nuclear power plant operations include the following.

Conducting Safety Reviews and Inspections to Ensure Continued Reliability

By performing repeated inspections, maintenance work and periodic safety reviews, you can ensure the reliability, effectiveness and safety of all plant systems and equipment.

As part of our on-going nuclear power plant support services, TÜV SÜD experts assess whether your periodic safety reviews comply with all applicable codes and standards. This ensures that your nuclear power plant continues to fulfil the latest safety requirements. We use probabilistic safety analyses (PSA) and deterministic safety analysis (DSA) to calculate safety risks and probabilities of a wide range of faults and hazards within a nuclear power facility.

A PSA concentrates on measuring risk and assessing options for reducing such risk within a nuclear power plant. It is critical in understanding the strengths, weaknesses, and interdependencies within the facility. On the other hand, a DSA focuses on assessing the effectiveness of safety functions to control any initiating events and prevent their escalation. In addition, TÜV SÜD’s inspection services use modern assessment and testing methods which support the plant’s ageing management and identify faults before they become critical.

We can assess the ageing of components and systems on-site, in some cases remotely (using smart glasses for example) or in our own laboratories to provide a comprehensive overview of all plant equipment.

From metallographic and rupture testing to ultrasonic and radiographic examinations, TÜV SÜD offers independent assessments and reporting on the facility’s technical condition.

By combining these approaches with our own experience and expertise, TÜV SÜD’s advisors provide an overarching insight into the performance, reliability and safety of the nuclear power plant.

Managing Equipment Ageing in the Nuclear Industry

The first nuclear power plants were planned with an initial lifespan of between 25 and 40 years. Due to advances in engineering and technology, as well as a desire to increase the return on the initial capital investment, some operators are now looking at extending the life of their plant.

You can achieve this by implementing an ageing management plan to ensure that you monitor and systematically replace systems, structures, and components vital to the continued safe running of a nuclear power plant. This lifetime extension could mean an extra 20 to 30 years of operation.

Power plant operators need to be certain of the reliability and status of components, sub-assemblies, and systems currently being used. TÜV SÜD offers a range of services to monitor nuclear equipment ageing to promote a structured, preventative nuclear power plant maintenance regime.

In addition, as risk-based approaches play an increasing role in nuclear equipment ageing programs, we leverage our expertise and experience to incorporate such concepts. We also use safety checks and safety assessments to confirm that equipment is ageing at the predicted rate. This ensures the continuing safe operation of the facility.

Using both non-destructive testing (NDT) and Finite Element Method (FEM) calculations, our experts assess the condition and expected lifespan of current components. We support you to make informed decisions on extending plant lifetime through retrofitting or refurbishment.

Refurbishing and Extending the Lifespan of a Nuclear Power Plant

Refurbishment of a nuclear power plant can also play a part in ageing management. As part of your nuclear facility modification plans, you should replace systems and components that were cutting edge at the time of construction but have now fallen behind the latest innovations. Replacing obsolete technology improves operational efficiency and reduces the plant’s own energy consumption. The investment easily pays for itself through increased availability, reliability, and capacity. 

By carrying out condition assessments, TÜV SÜD’s experts identify and rank the optimisation of systems and components. Ranking not only considers technical optimisation but also the economic effectiveness of the proposed improvements.

Our service goes beyond the nuclear refurbishment process and sets out future operation, monitoring, and nuclear power plant maintenance schedules. This will ensure the continued effectiveness of the measures. Finally, we can confirm the effectiveness of the nuclear facility modifications to satisfy stakeholders, investors, and regulatory authorities.

Fire Protection

A fire outbreak in any building, commercial or residential, poses a huge threat to life and property. A fire in a nuclear power plant poses additional threats. You need to ensure a high level of fire protection in your facility as it is an essential part of safety in the nuclear sector.

Designing and installing independent, bespoke fire detection and alarm systems from the outset will minimise the direct consequences of any fire. In addition, using redundancy and separation helps prevent a fire escalating and limits any potential damage. By triggering such Defence in Depth (DID) responses, you can ensure that a fire neither prevents the shutdown of the plant nor leads to a release of radioactive particles into the environment.