Material Condition and Aging Management Adjunct Program

DOESTD107393

safety of the facility operations. The authorization basis is described in documents such as the facility

SAR and other safety analyses, hazard classification documents, the TSR, DOE-issued safety

evaluation reports, and commitments made to satisfy DOE Orders or policies. The design basis

encompasses the authorization basis, as well as consideration of such factors as facility availability,

efficiency, mission, costs, and maintainability.

I-B.7 MATERIAL CONDITION AND AGING MANAGEMENT ADJUNCT PROGRAM

The MCA adjunct program supports the CM program objective of maintaining the basic relationships

among the design requirements, the physical configuration, and the documentation. Through the

process of aging degradation, the performance capabilities of physical structures and other equipment

could deteriorate to the point that they can no longer meet their design requirements. For example,

pressure vessel aging caused by many years of radiation could create embrittlement of the material to

the point that the vessel no longer meets its design requirements for toughness and nil ductility

temperature. If this were to occur, the physical configuration would no longer be consistent with the

design requirements and, therefore, the CM program basic relationships would be compromised. A

fundamental goal of the MCA program is to prevent this type of equipment failure and the associated

impact on the facility.

In addition, the MCA adjunct program provides important input to the CM program planning by

estimating the facility remaining lifetime, which is an important factor in determining the appropriate

level of implementation for the overall CM program. The MCA adjunct program also supports the

periodic equipment performance monitoring function of the CM assessments element. The MCA

adjunct program develops practical monitoring techniques that can measure the material condition of

important equipment and can be used periodically to monitor and trend aging degradation. The MCA

program develops life extension techniques that can be applied to achieve the lifetime desired by DOE.

The MCA program also develops analytical methods and practical testing techniques that can be used

to support preventive and predictive maintenance activities so that important facility equipment

continues to meet its design requirements.

Equipment Failure. When equipment is no longer capable of meetingiIts design requirements, it is

considered to have failed. A primary objective of a configuration management program is

compromised when the physical configuration does not conform to the design requirements. Facility

SSCs can fail for a variety of reasons. In some cases, especially with electrical equipment or electronic

compounds, equipment can fail spontaneously. In other cases, the failure is the result of progressive

degradation. Some forms of degradation (such as that from normal wear) have long been recognized.

Aging, due to fatigue or stress corrosion cracking causes other forms of degradation that can lead to

equipment failures.

In a few situations, facility operations might be continued until the equipment failure actually occurs and

action is initiated. However, in most cases, the objective is to avoid failures that interrupt operations or

jeopardize operational safety. In some cases, especially those involving important equipment that is in

standby service without actual operation for long periods, the equipment is tested periodically to confirm

that it remains operable or to identify whatever failure might have occurred.

When failures are detected, different actions might be taken. One such action is to repair the

equipment and thereby restore it to operable status. Another is to replace the failed equipment with

new equipment. Still another is to terminate facility operation. In most cases, after a failure is

discovered, repair or replacement actions would be taken to restore the equipment to an operable

status. In some cases, the total cost to repair or replace equipment, including the direct safety impact

of the failure itself and the costs associated with facility down time (involving, among other things, the

time for fabrication, shipment, or installation and testing of a replacement), could be so great that it

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