\n'); } //-->
The financial benefits of extending the life of our nuclear power plants to 60 years would be substantial.
It involves analysing how components age and determining how they could be used to last for this amount of time, in all safety and at an acceptable cost.
Ling’Ao power plant; in the foreground, a high-voltage pylon and, behind it, the plant's operating facilities
To perform these analyses, we need a thorough understanding of materials ageing mechanisms, along with the effect of neutron, thermohydraulic and mechanical stressors in order to quantify their effects on real components and to assess the degree of associated risk.
To meet this ambitious objective, we will join the international effort toward sophisticated modelings for different time and space scales, using the most recent experimental and numerical tools.
Taking a closer look