J.R. Chapman’s scientific contributions

To provide guidelines for practical implementation of risk-based ISI, EPRI sponsored work to develop evaluation procedures and criteria for defining risk-based inservice inspection programs for nuclear power plant piping. These procedures and criteria include efficient means to identify risk significant piping segments, inspection locations, and available inspection techniques. These procedures were applied in a pilot study to assess the feasibility of successfully implementing risk-based inservice inspection programs at nuclear plants. The results from the pilot study indicate that implementation of risk-based inservice inspection programs can reduce the cost and radiation exposure associated with inservice inspection, while maintaining a high level of safety. The list of references provides additional details of these procedures and plant-specific applications. Also, an EPRI technical report has been published to document these procedures. Software has been developed to support and fully document this procedure. Additional development is adding an expert system to the present data base system. The approach compares well to approaches used (or being considered) in other industries and can easily be adapted to these other industries and to address economic and personnel safety in addition to public safety measures.

Recently, the ASME Section XI Working Group on Implementation of Risk-Based Examination produced a code case to define risk-based selection rules that could be used for inservice inspection of Class 1.2, and 3 piping. To provide guidelines for practical implementation of the code case by utilities, EPRI sponsored work to develop evaluation procedures and criteria for defining risk-based inservice inspection programs for nuclear power plant piping. These procedures and criteria include efficient means to identify risk significant piping segments and inspection locations, and are based on evaluations of the potential for and the consequences of piping failure. These procedures have been applied in a pilot study to assess the feasibility of successfully implementing risk-based inservice inspection programs at nuclear plants. The results from the pilot study indicate that implementation of risk-based inservice inspection programs can reduce the cost and radiation exposure associated with inservice inspection, while maintaining a high level of safety.