Mass Testing for Europe's Nuclear Plants

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Flaws discovered in two Belgian nuclear power plants have led to calls for mass testing of all of Europe's nuclear facilities.

The Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) has called for the reactor pressure vessels in every European nuclear power plant to be subjected to a standardised review to check for manufacturing flaws, specifically hydrogen-induced forging defects. WENRA is a network of the Chief Regulators of European Union (E.U.) countries with nuclear power plants and was instrumental in defining the mandatory stress tests carried out across Europe following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March 2011.

"After discovery of indications for manufacturing flaws affecting the reactor pressure vessel at the Belgian nuclear plants Doel 3 and Tihange 2 in Belgium, exhaustive investigations were carried out at the affected plants," explained WENRA Chairman, Dr. Hans Wanner. "We consider it important and necessary to be aware of this issue and that appropriate measures will be taken at every European plant. The recommendation to review the reactor pressure vessels of all European nuclear power plants on account of the insights gained from the Belgian plants is an example of WENRA's active engagement on relevant technical issues concerning nuclear safety."

WENRA is recommending a two‐step procedure:

Step 1: Comprehensive review of the manufacturing and review records

Step 2: In case the national nuclear safety authority considers it necessary, representative examination of the vessels with non‐destructive test‐methods.

WENRA claimed that that the examinations should be carried out during the usual scheduled inspections.

Last year, the European Commission oversaw a comprehensive series of nuclear 'stress tests' across the region's 143 reactors. The tests concluded that none of Europe's nuclear reactors would have to close and, while there was a high level of safety standards, there was a need for further improvement at almost all of the plants. For additional information, see October 8, 2012, article - Europe's Nuclear Plants Safe...but Could be Safer.

Belgium's Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) recently gave the green light for the reopening of the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 reactors, which were shut last summer after ultrasonic inspections discovered tiny cracks in the reactor pressure vessels. For additional information, see August 13, 2012, article - Belgium Shuts Doel 3 Nuclear Reactor.

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