Advanced Structural Integrity Assessment Tools for Safe Long Term Operation

The main objective and mission of this project is to develop advanced structural assessment tools to address the remaining technology gaps for the safe and long term operation of nuclear reactor pressure coolant boundary systems. This is achieved by development and validation of:

1) innovative quantitative methodologies to transfer laboratory material properties to assess the structural integrity of large components,
2) enhanced treatment of weld residual stresses when subjected to long term operation,
3) advanced simulation tools based on fracture mechanics methods using physically based mechanistic models,
4) improved engineering methods to assess components under long term operation taking into account specific operational demands,
5) integrated probabilistic assessment methods to reveal uncertainties and justify safety margins.

The project scope of work focuses on piping systems of the reactor coolant pressure boundary components (RCPB) excluding the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The project is aimed on an experimental proof of concept and validates the developed methodology both at the laboratory scale and the full scale level. The ATLAS+ project contains four main technical work packages, one training and dissemination package and the management and technical coordination part. Their progresses are summarised in the following.