Risk-based approaches to aging and maintenance management

This paper addresses the means of integrating PRA results into RCM. Several methods are discussed, including methods derived from a recent ASME report on Risk-Based Inspection and new methods which both identify items for maintenance attention and then calculate the revised risk. Aging PRA`s take into account the changing failure probability with time. Some examples of the application of these techniques to reactor systems are reviewed. Results from PRA`s including aging can also be used on their own to optimize certain aspects of maintenance. An example of optimizing test intervals is described.