Technical Working Group on Life Management of Nuclear Power Plants (TWG-LMNPP)

Background

The IAEA Technical Working Group on Life Management of Nuclear power Plants (TWG-LMNPP) comprises of a group of experts from Member States (MS) who provide advice to the Agency concerning all aspects of the life management of nuclear power plants (NPPs) aimed at ensuring economical, reliable and safe long-term operation. Further to this, the competence of the TWG-LMNPP lies in identifying those technological areas in nuclear power generation where further knowledge is required to improve or enhance reliability and operational times of NPPs. Accordingly, the TWG-LMNPP actively promotes MS collaboration in co-ordinated research programmes and the implementation of results. The continual dissemination of information and provision of data to MS is made possible through the publication of technical documents (TECDOCS), organisation of technical meetings (TM), international symposiums and national presentations (Country Reports) at the TWG-LMNPP meeting.

Scope

Objectives

1. To assist the IAEA and provide its Member States with information, comments and advise on policies and strategies of plant ageing and life management including its decommissioning. Plant ageing management stands for all the engineering, operations and maintenance actions to control within acceptance limits ageing degradation and wear of key components of the plants. Plant life management integrates the previous ageing management and economical aspects in order to:

• Optimize the operation, maintenance and service of plant key components for long-term operation (LTO)
• Maintain the level of safety and performance as well as a return of investment as high as possible during the total service life of the plant

2. To facilitate the exchange of information and experience in the field of understanding and monitoring of ageing mechanisms affecting main NPP systems and components.

3. To provide guidance on general issues which limit NPP lifetime, practical assistance in identification of NPP lifetime limiting features, mitigation measures, assessment of economic cost/benefit of life management for optimization of the lifetime.

Scope of Activities

1. The TWG-LMNPP should provide the Secretariat of the IAEA with advice and recommendations on the Agency's activities and forward programmes in this area by means of technical meetings (TMs), training courses, coordinated Terms of Reference research projects (CRPs), workshops(WSs), establishing, operating and maintaining databases etc., when they have particular relevance to reliable plant life management, and, specifically, on the priority, scope and content of publications in the form of guides and manuals and meetings to be organized and sponsored by the Agency. The TWG-LMNPP activities will be coordinated with programmes of other international organizations. The scope of the TWG activities include the following aspects: 

• Design 
• Materials 
• Fabrication 
• Monitoring, testing, inspection and data bases of their results 
• Degradation mechanisms, their significance and mitigation 
• Assessment and means of plant life management 
• Strategic, economic and administrative aspects of plant life management for LTO

2. The list of the activities giving the scope of the working group is not fully comprehensive. There are some other items which are important for NPP life management. These items may currently be part of the scope of activities of other groups in the IAEA.

3. A list of priorities will be established and updated at TWG meetings based upon recommendations from Member States. In addition, the TWG-LMNPP addresses:

• Types of facilities: All commercially operating NPPs of all types and designs and fabrication and deemed suitable for technological measures compatible with state of the science plant life management (PLiM) goals
• Technical areas: All areas where ageing and degradation of NPP systems, structures and components (SSCs) may appear and where these SSCs are significant to economic, reliable and safe operation goals and requirements

Functions

The functions of the TWG-LMNPP are:

• To provide advice and guidance, and actively support implementation of the Agency's programmatic activities in the area of PLiM and associated subjects
• To identify important current and open topics for discussion at meetings and contribute to status reports, co-ordinated research projects, technical meetings and topical conferences in the field of PLiM and ageing issues in NPPs
• To provide a forum for the exchange of information on the progress of national and international programmes in this field
• To provide advice on preparatory action by Member States for planning and implementing PLiM for LTO activities

Membership

Members of the TWG-LMNPP shall be appointed by the Deputy Director General (DDG), Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy following consultation with the respective national authorities or organizations. Members of the TWG-LMNPP:

• Shall be recognized experts in the field of design, implementation, licensing, operation maintenance, and modernization of NPP plant life management for long term operation, having extensive links with national technical communities
• Are to serve for a standard length of four years
• Shall participate in the Group in their personal capacity and shall provide as appropriate views on national policies and strategies in the technical field
• May as appropriate bring experts to provide additional information and share experience in the meetings of the TWG

Term Duration