Integrated technologies for life assessment of primary power plant components Original Research Article

Assessing the integrity and stability of high-temperature, service-exposed components is increasingly a topic of interest for power plant users. The present paper describes various approaches developed by ENEL and CISE for the life assessment of such components. Alternative test techniques, mainly based on sub-sized specimens, have been developed and validated for deriving reliable information from small quantities of sample material, as well as empirical correlations based on `conventionalʹ test data. A particular case is discussed, highlighting the risk of non-conservative flaw assessments under conditions of fatigue with negative peak loads.