Framatome ANP - AREVA

Cover StoryStandardized OutageOver the last several years,leading plant operators havedemonstrated that availability factorscan be improved, operating costsreduced, and safety and reliabilityenhanced on a long-term basis. Outageoptimization is a new term being usedto describe these long-term initiatives.A variety of measures aimed atshortening scheduled plant outageshave been developed and successfullyimplemented by these leaders workingwith their service providers whointroduced new technologies andprocess improvementsNew Framatome ANP IVVI bridge installed with refueling bridge atBrowns Ferry allows simultaneous inspection and refueling work.All nuclear plant operators now haveambitious outage optimization plans,and the median and average outagedurations are decreasing on a worldwidebasis. The high economical impact ofoutage time reduction is impressivelyillustrated by the fact that in the last tenyears in the US, an additional poweroutput equivalent to ten 1000MWeNuclear Power Plants (NPP) has beenachieved through outage durationreductions – without investing in newplants and without additional plantpersonnel. Future objectives are evenmore aggressive and must include plantupgrades and component replacementsbeing performed for life extension ofplant operation.Outage optimization covers a broadrange of activities from modificationsof plant systems to faster cool downrates to human behavior improvements.It has been proven to reduce costsand radiation doses, avoid unplannedoutages and thus support plantavailability and help to ensure the utility’scompetitive position in the marketplace.The ConceptFramatome ANP, aware of thestrategic importance of its customers’8 Advanced Nuclear Power N O 7 April 2003