Non-Destructive Techniques in the Tacis and Phare Nuclear Safety Programmes

Decisions regarding the verification of design plant lifetime and potential license renewal periods involve a determination of the component and circuit condition. In Service Inspection of key reactor components becomes a crucial consideration for continued safe plant operation. The determination of the equipment properties by Non Destructive Techniques during periodic intervals is an important aspect of the assessment of fitness-for-service and safe operation of nuclear power plants The Tacis and Phare were established since 1991 by the European Union as support mechanisms through which projects could be identified and addressed satisfactorily. In Nuclear Safety, the countries mainly concerned are Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Kazakhstan for the Tacis programme, and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia for the Phare programme. The Tacis and Phare programs concerning the Nuclear Power Plants consist of: • On Site Assistance and Operational Safety, • Design Safety, • Regulatory Authorities, • Waste management, and are focused on reactor safety issues, contributing to the improvement in the safety of East European reactors and providing technology and safety culture transfer. The main parts of these programmes are related to the On-Site Assistance and to the Design Safety of VVVER and RBMK Nuclear power plants where Non Destructive Techniques for In Service Inspection of the primary circuit components are addressed.