Application of EDG AOT Extension Based on the Risk-Informed Method in NPPs

Abstract

At present, the allowed outage time (AOT) of an M310 unit emergency diesel generator (EDG) was 3 days, which can be extended to 14 days through replacement of additional diesel units; although it provides a certain online maintenance time, it cannot meet the needs of ten-years overhauls. In order to avoid stopping the reactor for maintenance of NPP due to insufficient of EDG AOT, based on risk-informed method analysis feasibility of extending AOT for EDG to 28 days, we quantitatively calculate the impact of extension of AOT on risk level of nuclear power plants (NPPs). Analysis shows that extension of EDG AOT to 28 days has less impact on NPPs, and safety of NPPs can be further ensured through temporary risk control measures, so the extension of AOT to 28 days is acceptable. By using risk-informed technology to extend AOT for EDG, unnecessary shutdown and maintenance is avoided and the economy of NPPs and flexibility of maintenance work arrangement is greatly improved while ensuring safety, which is of great significance to operation and maintenance of NPPs.