The aim of this report is to give an applied support for maintenance and plant development involving polymeric materials at the nuclear power plants.
Aging of polymeric materials is very complex, especially for nuclear applications where radiation is involved, and is strongly dependent on their formulation. The magnitude of these formulation effects has been demonstrated using examples from components in actual use in NPPs. The use of standardised formulations to overcome some of these concerns has been discussed.
Recommendations have been made as to how to put together appropriate accelerated ageing tests for different applications and the acceptance criteria that would be appropriate for different types of component. Methods for assessing aged components have been discussed. These include condition monitoring methods, failure analysis and ‘finger-printing’ methods that could be used as part of an informed procurement procedure.
