- Author
-
Ross, S. B.
|
Nowlen, S. P.
|
Tanaka, T.
- Title
- Aging Assessment for Active Fire Protection Systems.
- Coporate
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM
- Sponsor
- Department of Energy, Washington, DC
- Report
-
SAND95-1361; UC-610,
June 1995,
40 p.
- Contract
- DOE-CONTRACT-DE-AC04-94AL85000
- Keywords
-
fire protection
|
aging (materials)
|
fire suppression
|
reliability
|
fixed fire protection systems
|
failure
|
nuclear power plants
- Identifiers
- Fire Protection Systems (FPSs)
- Abstract
- This study assessed the impact of aging on the performance and reliability of active fire protection systems (FPSs), including both fixed fire suppression and fixed fire detection systems. From the review of the data, it is clear that most FPS failures are discovered during testing and maintenance activities and not when the FPS is required to actuate. Most of the aging-related failures came from FPS pumps, smoke detectors, and fire doors. The FPS pumps failed for a number of different reasons, including battery and shaft seal failure. The smoke detector failures were a result of both aging and increased sensitivity from an accumulation of dust and dirt. The fire doors that failed were mostly in a high-traffic area. The initial step in this study involved reviewing nuclear power plant data, starting with a review of pertinent Licensee Event Reports (LERs) obtained through the Nuclear Operations Analysis Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In addition, Sandia's Fire Event Database and EPRI's Fire Event Database were reviewed for fire protection system events related to aging. Section 2 presents the results of this data search and review. Section 3.0 presents a discussion of FPS reliabiity for nuclear power plants, DOE, and non-nuclear industry applications. Section 4.0 presents a discussion of the codes and standards applicable to nuclear power plants, including NFPA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) guidance. Section 5.0 summarizes this investigation into FPS aging, provides insights, and suggests improvements to anticipate potential FPS failures and minimize the risk from aging.