Replacement and substitution of fuses in nuclear generating stations

It is pointed out that there are significant benefits available to the nuclear power generating industry in upgrading their use of fuses. These improvements take the form of enhanced performance, upgraded safety and reliability, and a reduction in inventory and administrative costs. The commercial fuse industry has made substantial advances in design, materials, and processes which could benefit nuclear users. The users must make an adequate technical investigation of the characteristics and capabilities of potential replacement fuses. Certain fuse characteristics can be evaluated in order to establish the suitability of a fuse substitution or replacement program. It is suggested that, wherever possible, a dual-element, time-delay UL class RK1 fuse should be selected to replace all other types of fuses with the same size, voltage, and current rating.<>