Unpublished Paper
Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting of the International Forum for Reactor Aging Management (IFRAM)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Reports
(2011)
Abstract
In almost all countries with nuclear power plants (NPPs), regulatory authorities and the nuclear
industry are looking at some form of extended operating periods. To support life extension activities it is
necessary to ensure the continued safety and reliability of system, structures, and components, and the
component materials. Internationally, a variety of individual national and international activities have
been initiated including Plant Life Management through the International Atomic Energy Agency,
Electric Power Research Institute’s Long Term Operation program, and various national programs in
managing materials degradation and related topics.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) engaged the international community in workshops
in 2005–2006 to identify research needs and to collect information in an expert panel report on Proactive
Management of Materials Degradation (PMMD), which was reported in NUREG/CR-6923. These results
are also available via an Information Tool on the internet at http://pmmd.pnl.gov. This information builds
on the extensive compilations known as the GALL Report (Generic Aging Lessons Learned, NUREG-
1801, Vols. 1 and 2). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) recently issued a report on the
review of various international activities in PMMD (PNNL-17779). There have also been initiatives by
Electricite de France, Tokyo Electric Power Company, EPRI, and others to establish a ―Materials Aging
Institute.‖ Within the materials degradation research community there are also networks and technical
meetings focused on some elements of PMMD. In spite of all these efforts, there is currently no forum to
bring together these diverse activities and provide coordinated information exchange and prioritization of
materials aging management/PMMD topics. It is believed that the International Forum for Reactor Aging
Management (IFRAM) would be a good way to achieve this goal and help develop new approaches for
ensuring continued safe operation in existing and future nuclear power plants.
To begin addressing this need, NRC has established a Proactive Management of Materials
Degradation Program for managing in-service degradation of metallic components in aging NPPs. The
NRC is seeking to facilitate the establishment of IFRAM as a network of international experts who would
exchange information on operating experience, best practices, and emerging knowledge. These experts
would be willing to work jointly and leverage the separate efforts of existing national programs into a
unified approach to enable the potential for the safe and economic life extension of NPPs.
A proposal for establishing IFRAM was developed and presented at Engagement workshops in Seoul,
Korea (October 2009) and Petten, The Netherlands (May 2010). Participants in both groups demonstrated
strong interest in the establishment of IFRAM. Therefore the Global Steering Committee was formed to
plan and carry out the start-up of IFRAM in 2011. This group finalized the documents for IFRAM and
organized the kick-off meeting. This document records the contents of the inaugural meeting of IFRAM,
which was held August 4–5, 2011, at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Representatives from Asia, Europe, and the United States met to share information on reactor aging
management and make plans for the future. Professor Tetsuo Shoji was elected chairperson of the
Leadership Council. This kick-off event transformed the dream of an international forum into a reality.
IFRAM has begun to achieve its mission.
Disciplines
Publication Date
September, 2011
Comments
Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.
Citation Information
Leonard J. Bond and D. L. Brenchley. "Proceedings of the Inaugural Meeting of the International Forum for Reactor Aging Management (IFRAM)" Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Reports (2011) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/leonard_bond/37/