NTW Exploratory Workshop, 19th March 2014, Brussels

"Ageing of nuclear power plants: a threat to nuclear safety?"

Related Issues:

Ageing of human know-how, design and technology

What does the JRC do in this respect?

Peter Hhner

DG JRC, Institute for Energy and Transport

Petten, NL

Established in

1957

7 institutes in 5

countries

991 scientific

publications in 2013

1360 documents in support

to EU policies

in 2013

provides support to European Union policies

and technology innovation to ensure sustainable, safe,

secure and efficient energy production, distribution and

use and to foster sustainable and efficient transport

in Europe

Petten (NL)

Ispra (IT)

Interdisciplinary Study

Benefits and Limitations of

Nuclear Fission

for a Low-Carbon Economy

February 2013

Recommendation # 10:

The role of the Commissions Joint Research Centre as an EU centre for nuclear safety, safeguards and security science should be reinforced;

Consideration should be given to the JRC playing an active role in collecting and disseminating Euratom research results.

Content

Examples of JRC research into ageing mechanisms

Management of materials data from EU research

Ageing knowledge base

EHRO-N: HR monitoring in the nuclear field

ECVET: European Credit System for Vocational E&T

EU Stress Tests: JRC contribution

Corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking in LWR environments Materials degradation depends on a hierarchy of interacting environmental factors: - temperature - mechanical stress - water chemistry - neutron irradiation

Recirculation loop with controlled water chemistry

With its state-of-the-art test installations JRC investigates corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking phenomena of reactor internals and fuel cladding materials.

Environmental mechanical testing at JRC

High Flux Reactor (HFR) - PSF LYRA-10:

A joint JRCNRG irradiation project

Is there accelerated RPV embrittlement due to Late Blooming Phases (LBP) appearing at high n fluence during long-term operation?

If yes, identify decisive factors for LBP - chemical composition - critical elements (Mn, Ni, Cr, Si) - initial microstructure (BM/WM, etc.)

High Flux Reactor in Petten

JRC investigates the microstructural damage processes in RPV base metals and welds under neutron irradiation to a relatively high fluence (LTO).

Materials under irradiation in LYRA-10

Model steels

12 batches

Fixed Mo (0,7%)

V (0% & 0.1%)

Si (~0.3% & 0.5%)

Ni (

FP7 Indirect Action Project MULTIMETAL:

Motivation: There is no experimental test standard

and no agreed numerical scheme for fracture resistance

assessment of dissimilar metal welds (DMW).

Objectives:

Develop a standard for experimental fracture resistance testing of DMW specimens.

Develop harmonized numerical procedures for toughness assessment of DMW.

JRC contributes to experimental and numerical benchmark exercises (pre-

normative research) for the development of best-practice recommendations for the

integrity assessment of DMW components.

Fracture resistance of different specimen types containing multi-metallic welds

Thermal fatigue (TF) is a degradation mechanism under complex loading conditions.

Instrumented pipe in an NPP

Thermal fatigue test installation at IET

X-ray CT scan of a TF test specimen

JRC has developed TF test methodologies to underpin the monitoring of real components through laboratory testing.

Knowledge Base for Ageing Mechanisms Research

In the frame of an MoU between JRC and GRS (Gesellschaft fr Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit) development of an ageing knowledge base has been initiated building on the experience gained by GRS developing their AlmaMater system.

The content of the knowledge base will be based on critical reviews of the outputs of European research projects on the topic of aging of materials in the nuclear power sector.

The purpose of the knowledge base is threefold:

Expert system

Training and education

Consolidation of European research

JRC is conducting a feasibility study to identify the initial scope and system architecture: Aging mechanisms associated with specific NPPs Aging mechanisms associated with certain operational events Aging mechanisms in nuclear codes and guidelines

Migration of the PC-based IAEA Surveillance Database

to the web-enabled JRC-IET MatDB Online

https://odin.jrc.ec.europa.eu

40,000 data sets on RPV steel embrittlement from 190 reactor units

in 7 countries, mainly US, France, Korea

Transfer and data validation completed

JRC is currently working on

extending the MatDB data

evaluation tools library by

tools based on the

Master Curve Approach

(ductile-brittle transition).

Data Citation

Data citation provides a means to support the Horizon 2020 Open Data policy

by promoting sharing, aggregation and reuse of experimental data from

FP projects.

Test data are labelled by Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)

Registries host metadata about data sets

Researchers are acknowledged in derivative works

Data citation promotes European research and innovation

Contributes to the generation of new knowledge

Guards against redundancy and the abundance of 'data silos'

JRC has enabled its MatDB Online to support data citation through

DataCite DOIs (digital object identifiers) in much the same way as

conventional publications are cited. This serves as a pilot to promote the

Open Data initiative under Horizon 2020.

ENEF WG Risk SWG Education and Training

Nuclear Human Resource Observatory Administrative Arrangement DG ENERJRC

2008

2009

2011

2009 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations

Article 7: Expertise and skills in nuclear safety

Member States shall ensure education and training relating to the nuclear safety of nuclear installations in order to maintain and to further develop expertise and skills in nuclear safety.

European Nuclear

Energy Forum

Bratislava - Prague

European Nuclear

Energy Forum

Bratislava - Prague

JRC Operating Agent of

EHRO-N Senior Advisory Group Members

ehron.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Website

Large-scale

retirements

Cross-border

recognition of skills;

mobility of

experts

Attracting

more students

Main Challenges

JRC puts into perspective the supply and demand of experts and their career expectations within the EU nuclear energy sector.

ECVET

European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training

Tool designed to make qualifications systems more easily understood and flexible

and to support more mobility for workers and learners throughout the EU

JRC as facilitator of its implementation

in the nuclear energy sector

From knowledge creation ....... to competence building

knowledge => skills & attitudes

REACTOR

VESSEL

INTERMEDIATE HEAT

EXCHANGER (IHX)

MODULE FUEL

STORAGE AREA

REACTOR CAVITY

COOLING SYSTEM

(RCCS) TANKSHEAT RECOVERY

STEAM GENERATOR

(HRSG)

GENERATOR

L.P. TURBINE

CONDENSERH.P./I.P. TURBINE

COMPRESSOR

GAS TURBINE

MAIN

TRANSFORMER

RCCS HEADERS

AND STANDPIPES

FUEL TRANSFER

TUNNEL

SECONDARY GASISOLATION

VALVES (TYPICAL)

SECONDARY

GAS BYPASS

CONDENSER

COOLING WATER

Graduate or young professional will no longer be asked:

What did you do to obtain your degree

(or your qualification)?

but rather:

What can you do

now that you have obtained your degree?

Emphasis on Learning Outcomes: competences as the ability to

apply knowledge, skills, attitudes

Report on ECVET implementation in the nuclear energy sector

of EU-27 & Croatia (October 2013)

Seminars for nuclear ECVET providers

Database and Expert System for employment and education;

Taxonomy in Design, Operation and Decommissioning (November

2013), comprising ~ 150 Job Descriptions and ~ 4000 LOs so far

ECVET Nuclear

JRC, through EHRO-N, facilitates and promotes the implementation

of a nuclear ECVET system.

The EU Clearinghouse for Operational Experience Feedback

OEF Clearinghouse

Centralized Office (JRC)

Coordination & Communication

Technical & Scientific work

OE knowledge repository

EU Safety Authorities

EU Technical

Support Organizations

IRSN, GRS

Bel-V

International

Community

IAEA

OECD-NEA

Members

Finland

Hungary

Lithuania

The Netherlands

Romania

Slovenia

Switzerland

Main deliverables:

-Topical reports

- Quarterly reports on events

- Improved draft IRS reports

+ Areva

Observers

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

France

Germany

Slovakia

Spain

Observers

Czech Republic

Spain

Observers

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

France

Germany

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

JRC Role in the post-Fukushima

EU Stress Tests

Scientific Secretariat for the Stress Tests

Provision of 9 experts for the peer reviews

Participation to 3 Topical Peer-Reviews and

17 National Peer-Reviews

Answering 10 EP Questions

Contributing to the EC report to the Council

3000 pages of National Reports reviewed

www.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Serving society

Stimulating innovation

Supporting legislation

Joint Research Centre

The European Commissions in-house science service