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Cable System Aging Management

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Technical Report

Engineering Support

Reduced Cost

Technical Excellence
PLANT SUPPORT ENGINEERING

Cable System Aging Management


1003317

Final Report, April 2002

EPRI Project Manager G. J. Toman

EPRI 3412 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304 PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303 USA 800.313.3774 650.855.2121 askepri@epri.com www.epri.com

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES


THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY THE ORGANIZATION(S) NAMED BELOW AS AN ACCOUNT OF WORK SPONSORED OR COSPONSORED BY THE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. (EPRI). NEITHER EPRI, ANY MEMBER OF EPRI, ANY COSPONSOR, THE ORGANIZATION(S) BELOW, NOR ANY PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM: (A) MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, (I) WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR (II) THAT SUCH USE DOES NOT INFRINGE ON OR INTERFERE WITH PRIVATELY OWNED RIGHTS, INCLUDING ANY PARTY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OR (III) THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS SUITABLE TO ANY PARTICULAR USER'S CIRCUMSTANCE; OR (B) ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF EPRI OR ANY EPRI REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM YOUR SELECTION OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT. ORGANIZATION(S) THAT PREPARED THIS DOCUMENT EPRI

ORDERING INFORMATION
Requests for copies of this report should be directed to EPRI Orders and Conferences, 1355 Willow Way, Suite 278, Concord, CA 94520, (800) 313-3774, press 2 or internally x5379, (925) 609-9169, (925) 609-1310 (fax). Electric Power Research Institute and EPRI are registered service marks of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. EPRI. ELECTRIFY THE WORLD is a service mark of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. Copyright 2002 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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CITATIONS
This report was prepared by EPRI Plant Support Engineering (PSE) 1300 W.T. Harris Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 Principal Investigator G. J. Toman This report describes research sponsored by EPRI. The report is a corporate document that should be cited in the literature in the following manner: Cable System Aging Management, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2002. 1003317.

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REPORT SUMMARY

As plants age, there is an increased need to identify cables located in adverse environments and to determine the adequacy of those cables for continued use. This report describes the basics of establishing a cable aging management program. Background Failure of the insulation systems of electrical cables that are used in nuclear plants might adversely affect safety and/or operations. Most cables are aging very slowly and no significant degradation will occur, even after 60 years. However, segments of some safety cables are located in adverse normal environments, which will cause them to age more rapidly. These cable segments could become susceptible to failure under accident environments. Similarly, some operation cables might be subject to conditions that could lead to their failure in service. Objectives To provide a framework for a cost-effective cable aging management program To provide guidance for initial efforts in cable aging management, including practical guidance on preparing for and performing in-plant cable evaluation

Approach This report describes the activities that are needed to establish a cable aging management system. Initial activities are described. Based on the results of the initial data gathering and limited inplant assessments, the need for a limited or expanded continuing effort is determined on a plantspecific basis. If none of the cables, or very few cables, are experiencing significant aging, a limited continuing program will result. If a large number of cables are found to have experienced significant aging, a larger, more vigorous program will be necessary. Results A flow chart of activities involved in a cable aging management program is provided in this report, along with concepts for implementation of the activities. So that the cost of initial implementation can be determined, tables are also provided with estimates of staff hours for each of the activities. Methods are provided for use in gleaning information from electrical and Instrumentation and Control personnel about current plant condition and past cable issues and replacements. Guidance is also provided on how to prepare for and document a cable system assessment. EPRI Perspective Both regulators and plant owners/operators are becoming concerned with the potential impact of cable aging in nuclear power plants. If aging is ignored, some cables will experience significant v

deterioration. The number of cables affected is a function of plant design and the types of cables selected for use. Cable failures can affect safety or plant operation. Although there are many millions of feet of cable within each nuclear plant, the problem of cable aging management is neither insurmountable nor should it be expensive to resolve. Most plant cables are located in benign environments, with respect to their ability to withstand aging. The effort to identify and evaluate cables in adverse environments, and to implement sampling inspections to evaluate their condition, should not be overly large. The number of cables that are in adverse environments will be small. Of the cables in this small population, the quantity that need replacement more than once during the life of the plant will be even smaller. Keywords Electrical cable Cable system aging management Cable condition assessment Cable condition monitoring

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This report is the 2001 product for members of the PSE Cable Program.

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CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................1-1 2 MANAGEMENT SPONSORSHIP ..........................................................................................2-1 2.1 2.2 Scope of Program ........................................................................................................2-1 Initial Efforts .................................................................................................................2-2 Estimation of Labor for Initial Efforts ...................................................................2-2

2.2.1

3 RELATIONSHIP OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALIFICATION TO CABLE AGING MANAGEMENT.........................................................................................................................3-1 3.1 3.2 Safety Cable Aging Mechanisms .................................................................................3-1 Additional Aging Mechanisms for Non-Safety Cable ...................................................3-1

4 SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CABLES TO AGING ..........................................................................4-1 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Identification of Cables That Are Expected to Age More Rapidly ................................4-1 Use of Environmental Monitoring in Cable Aging Management ..................................4-2 Understanding the Cable System ................................................................................4-3 Interviews of Plant Staff ...............................................................................................4-3 Sources and Attributes of Aging ..................................................................................4-5

5 ASSESSMENT OF THE CABLE SYSTEM ............................................................................5-1 5.1 5.2 Determining Where to Look .........................................................................................5-1 Initial Inspection ...........................................................................................................5-3

6 ACTIONS SUBSEQUENT TO INITIAL ASSESSMENT.........................................................6-1 6.1 6.2 6.3 Introduction ..................................................................................................................6-1 Low-Voltage Cable ......................................................................................................6-1 Medium-Voltage Cable ................................................................................................6-2

7 IN-PLANT CABLE EVALUATION .........................................................................................7-1 7.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................7-1

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7.2 7.3

Planning.......................................................................................................................7-1 Training........................................................................................................................7-2 Cable Familiarization...........................................................................................7-2 Expected Changes with Aging ............................................................................7-3

7.3.1 7.3.2 7.4 7.5 7.6

Initial Inspection Efforts................................................................................................7-4 Identification of Cable Circuits Within the Plant ...........................................................7-5 In-Plant Work Considerations ......................................................................................7-7 Work Within Radiation Zones..............................................................................7-7 Working at Heights..............................................................................................7-7 Types of Walkdown/Inspection ...........................................................................7-8 Documentation of Findings .................................................................................7-9

7.6.1 7.6.2 7.7 7.7.1 7.7.2

Walkdowns and Inspections ........................................................................................7-7

8 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................8-1 A CABLE SYSTEM AGING MANAGEMENT FLOW CHART ................................................. A-1

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2-1 Expected Staff Hours for Low-Voltage Cable Activities .............................................2-3 Table 2-2 Expected Staff Hours for Medium-Voltage Cable Activities .......................................2-5 Table 5-1 Degradation Observable During Physical Cable Inspection ......................................5-4

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1
INTRODUCTION
The cable system for a nuclear plant is extensive and contains cables with different configurations and insulation systems. Cables are often routed through multiple plant compartments that have large variations in both normal and accident environments. A power plants cable system is not limited to field cables onlyit also includes panel and hookup wire, terminations, connectors, and support and protection systems such as tie-downs, trays, conduits, and ducts. Each of these affects the operability of the cable system under normal and accident conditions and must be considered in addressing aging management of cable systems. Both safety circuits and circuits that affect plant operation must be considered under a plants cable system aging management program. Consideration of safety circuits ensures long-term power production. The severe aging of operationally important cables can cause a reduction in power output or plant trips. Therefore, both safety cables and operationally important cables must be considered in a cable aging management program. Even when license renewal is considered, most cables, and the associated terminations within a cable system, experience little or no degradation during the life of a plant. However, some cables and terminations are located in whole or in part in severe normal environments, or have a sensitivity to their environment that could cause significant degradation. Depending on the application and the safety significance, degradation can impact capability during normal service, or the ability to perform a safety function under accident conditions. This report addresses aging management of cables and their terminations, and describes a program that can be used to manage the aging of a cable system at any point in the life of a plant. A flow chart for the implementation of a cable system aging management program is provided in Appendix A.

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2
MANAGEMENT SPONSORSHIP
Plant management has to actively support a cable system aging management program for it to be successful. Support does not require the expenditure of large amounts of money, but it does require some funding and active encouragement of the plant staff to identify and, if needed, correct significant degradation of the cable system. This section provides insight into initial and ongoing cable aging management activities and costs, which can be used in requesting management support.

2.1

Scope of Program

The program should cover two cable groups: safety cables and cables that are operationally important. Ensuring the continued function of safety cables under normal and accident conditions is a regulatory requirement. Cables that are operationally important should be in the program to prevent plant trips and output reductions from shorted or opened cable circuits. Identification of all of the individual circuits that are either related to safety circuits or to operationally important circuits is a large task. However, initial efforts need not be predicated on identification of the list of cable circuits. Rather, initial efforts can be based on the identification of adverse normal environments (for example, temperature, radiation, and chemical), performance of an assessment of the capabilities of cable types installed in the plant, performance of interviews of electricians and instrumentation and control (I&C) personnel, and then performing a limited inspection of cables in the worst-case environments. These initial efforts will indicate whether the cable system is aging slowly and limited further activity is needed, or whether a more sophisticated cable aging management program is necessary. The phrase cable system aging management is used because the field cables comprise only a portion of the circuit that could deteriorate. They do not provide all of the risk of failure. The terminations and the local wiring between the field cable and the end device must also be considered. Often the termination and local wiring are in the most adverse environment because they are closest to the process-mounted equipment. The terminations and local wiring are also in the vicinity where hands-on work could disturb them. Accordingly, these components of the cable system are often at the highest risk of significant aging and/or damage and should be within the scope of the aging management program. They are usually easy to add to the program because evaluations of the end-device portions of the field cables occur in the junction boxes where the terminations and local wiring are located. In addition to the cables and terminations, support and protective components must be considered. Trays, conduits, and ducts must support and protect the cables. Deterioration or

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damage to these components, which could compromise the cables in the program, must be identified and corrected. In summary, the recommended scope of a cable system aging management program includes safety cables and operationally important cables, the associated terminations and local wiring, and the associated trays, conduits, and ducts.

2.2

Initial Efforts

Immediately starting a large, detailed aging management program for cables is costly and inappropriate. However, for a plant that is more than 20 years old, identification of potentially adverse areas for cables and a limited inspection of cables in those areas will indicate the degree to which a cable system aging management program is necessary and the rate at which it must be deployed. If no significant aging is identified at 20 years, a limited program can be implemented and the next effort scheduled at the 30-year mark. If a number of significantly deteriorated cables are identified, a more sophisticated program will be needed that might include inspections at each outage and/or implementation of condition monitoring activities that are more comprehensive than visual/tactile inspections. The initial efforts for low-voltage cable are described in Sections 4 and 5 and include: Determining the types of low-voltage cables used in the plant for safety and the operationally important circuits Identification of areas of the plant with adverse normal environments Evaluation of the insulations and jackets of the identified cable types with respect to the adverse environments Discussions with electricians, I&C personnel, and supervisors to record knowledge of past cable problems and replacements, and known adverse conditions for cables within the plant Based on the third and fourth items above, inspection of representative cables to assess the condition of cables in plant spaces with either known or suspected adverse conditions

2.2.1 Estimation of Labor for Initial Efforts Table 2-1 provides an approximate level of effort to perform the initial cable system activities listed in Section 2.2 for the low-voltage cable system. The estimates are based on use of personnel with plant experience and a moderate understanding of cable types and aging. Knowledge of how to retrieve documents from the plant documentation system is also assumed.

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EPRI Licensed Material Management Sponsorship Table 2-1 Expected Staff Hours for Low-Voltage Cable Activities Activity Determine the types of low-voltage cables in use Means of Implementation Review of Environmental Qualification (EQ) records, purchase orders, and receipt documentation Review of EQ environment data, review of additional environment data for zones not covered by the EQ program, identification of chemical zones and continuously moist areas (for example, intake structures) Meetings with senior and mostexperienced personnel responsible for cable installation and replacement Staff Hours 40 to 60

Identification of areas of the plant with adverse normal environments

20 to 40

Discussions with electricians, I&C personnel, and supervisors

30 to 50 (includes time of persons interviewed and time to document results) 50 to 80

Evaluation of the insulations and jackets of the identified cable types with respect to the adverse environments

Identify Arrhenious activation energy from EQ data or industry database. Identify radiation capabilities from EQ data or EPRI NP-4172SP. Review manufacturers literature for chemical withstand as needed. Determine rooms with adverse environment with respect to condition of cable at time of interest. Determine to extent practical if actual cable type exists in room. Determine applications with representative cables. Create inspection plan. Inspect cables to determine if significant aging has occurred. See further discussion below. Totals

Identify areas for cable inspection

20 to 40

Implement inspection plan and identify additional actions if any

40 to 120

Low: Median: High:

200 295 390

The estimate indicates that 5 to 10 staff weeks will be required to identify and perform an initial assessment of the worst-case low-voltage cables for a plant. The only addition to the cost would be for the training of inspection personnel. For personnel inexperienced in cable configurations and identification of symptoms of aging, 20 hours of training might be needed. Given the short duration of outages, and knowing that inspections of in-containment cables are possible, some plants have prepared work orders to pull new cable for the circuits that will be 2-3

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inspected, in case severe damage is observed. Prior to inspections, availability of replacement cable should be checked to assure that replacement materials are available if needed. The costs of these activities are not included in the above estimates. Creation of an inspection plan might require determination of specific cable types in use. Many plants have pull-cards that link installed cables to their procurement and receipt inspection data. This information allows determination of actual cable-type installed, its materials and configuration. It also might contain data from original manufacturing tests, such as elongation at break, which will provide an indication of the base capability of the materials when new. If only limited information is known about the cables in the plant, retrieving information from plant records will increase planning costs beyond the amounts listed. The amount of time required for inspections will depend on the difficulty of access, including donning of anti-contamination clothing, wearing of harnesses, and other obstacles to access. The number of different work areas to be accessed will also affect the cost. This estimate is only for the initial effort. If no significant deterioration is identified, then a much less costly update of the activity could be performed 5 to 10 years later to reconfirm that aging is proceeding slowly. If significant deterioration is identified on a number of cables, the cable system aging management program activities will have to be expanded to encompass more areas in the plant and to add inspections for future planned outages. The efforts might have to include application of more sophisticated condition monitoring techniques, which would provide a better understanding of the degree and rate of aging that would allow use of cables for the longest possible period without risk of accident or in-service failure. The costs of an expansion of the low-voltage cable program would be plant- and condition-specific and cannot be estimated here.

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Table 2-2 provides an estimate of the effort involved in evaluating the medium-voltage cable system.
Table 2-2 Expected Staff Hours for Medium-Voltage Cable Activities Activity Identify the types and configuration of medium-voltage cable installed in the plant Determine the construction materials of the cable Identify those cables that are subject to long-term wet conditions Identify those cables that operate at or very near their ampacity rating Identify areas where medium-voltage cable has vertical runs of 25 or more feet (7.6 m) and evaluate physical supports Analyze information and make recommendations Means of Implementation Review purchase orders and receipt documentation Receipt data; inspection of spare cables in warehouse Review of plant layout, walkdowns, inspections Review of loadings with respect to cable sizing Layout drawing and walkdown assessments Staff Hours 24 to 48

16 to 32 30 to 50 30 to 50 20 to 40

Develop report from data Totals

40 to 80 Low: Median: High: 160 230 300

The outcome of this task is to determine if there is a high or low risk of a medium-voltage cable failure in the near term (two to five years) and, if so, which cables are at highest risk. With this data, a plan can be developed that might include purchase of replacement cable, high-voltage withstand testing, and early replacement or refurbishment.1 This task is expected to take between 4 and 7.5 staff weeks.

A refurbishment technique exists for medium-voltage cable that can restore electrical properties. It requires determination of the cable, forcing dry nitrogen through the spaces between the strands of the conductor to dry the interior, and then forcing moisture-curing, liquid silicone rubber through spacings between the conductor strands. The longevity of the refurbishment is currently being established. Such refurbishment might be desirable for installations where removal of the old cable and pulling of a new cable is difficult.

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RELATIONSHIP OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALIFICATION TO CABLE AGING MANAGEMENT

3.1

Safety Cable Aging Mechanisms

For safety cables, environmental qualification (EQ) provides a basis for cable aging management. The artificial aging that is performed in EQ programs demonstrates the ability of cables to withstand normal operating conditions while retaining the ability to function under accident environments. However, IEEE Std 323-1974 and Std 323-1983 [1] both state that EQ is just one step in the process of ensuring the quality of components. The other steps include design, production, installation, maintenance, and periodic testing. IEEE Std 383-1974 [2] directly discusses EQ testing of cables but does not discuss the other activities related to ensuring long-term operability of cables. Cables and terminations are long-lived components. Accordingly, manufacturers were told to perform their qualifications for power and control cables in such a way that a 40-year life would be possible even with an elevated ambient and/or conductor temperature. With these qualifications, plants entered service confident that safetyrelated cable would be long-lived and require little maintenance. With plants entering midlife, and many entering and achieving license renewal, the aging of plant cables is now a concern. This aging occurs exponentially with increasing stress levels. With low stress levels, very long life occurs. However, with high stress levels, cable life can be significantly less than 40 years. Identifying safety and operationally important cables that are subject to elevated stress, and evaluating the effects of that stress, are key to managing the aging of cable insulation and jacketing systems.

3.2

Additional Aging Mechanisms for Non-Safety Cable

Most areas that are potentially subject to harsh accident conditions are dry and do not have corrosive chemical environments under normal plant conditions. In these areas, temperature and radiation conditions are the most significant stresses. However, some cablesespecially nonsafety cablesrun through areas that are moist or subject to corrosive chemicals. Condensing moisture, especially where elevated temperatures occur simultaneously, might cause corrosion of exposed crimp and terminal block connections. Most modern insulations for low-voltage cable are not affected by moisture; however, metals of termination systems and the conductors of the cables might deteriorate at the termination.

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EPRI Licensed Material Relationship of Environmental Qualification to Cable Aging Management

Borates and acids can also affect cable conductors and terminations where exposed. Therefore, cable aging management programs should consider wet areas and areas with chemical contamination, especially for cables that affect plant capacity. Intake structures and water chemistry treatment areas should be considered, in addition to high-temperature and highradiation zones.

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SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CABLES TO AGING
4.1 Identification of Cables That Are Expected to Age More Rapidly

Most cables in a plant are expected to suffer few effects from aging. However, some materials are more sensitive to aging than others and some locations in a plant have more severe environments. A review of the types of cables in use, in conjunction with the environments of the rooms containing the cables, allows discrimination between cables that will have a long life and those that could degrade significantly during plant operations. Plants applying for license renewal perform such an analysis to determine whether a cable system aging management program must be a condition for license renewal. The evaluation is currently based on a spaces approach in which the rooms in a plant are evaluated by determining their normal design environments and whether or not cables are present in the room. A room with no cables present is eliminated from consideration. If cables are present in the room, their ability to withstand aging from temperature and radiation conditions is determined. This analysis can be performed on a generic basis in which the environment is considered for all types of cable that could possibly be in the room. In such cases, if all cable types have long lives (for example, well in excess of 60 years) for the given conditions, a room would be eliminated from consideration. If certain cable types have lives that are shorter than the operating period, then the cable types in actual use would be determined. If the short-lived type of cable was not used in the room, the room would be eliminated from consideration. If short-lived cables were used in the room, those cables would be candidates for evaluation under the Cable Aging Management Program. Some plants maintain detailed descriptions of the installed cables and the associated routing. Other plants do not know the specific types of cables in use (that is, they know the configuration but not the specific polymers or manufacturer). Plants use varying numbers of cable types, configurations, and manufacturers. Those plants with detailed information can perform scoping efforts quickly and can readily identify rooms with cables and the types of cables in those rooms. Environment can be determined from the room information. Information on environment and cable type can then be used to perform scoping analyses in order to determine approximate life expectancy of the cables. Radiation sensitivity and Arrhenius life assessments can be performed on a cable-typeby-cable-type basis. Although environment might vary, the temperature can be determined for a life greater than 60 years. Cables in rooms with temperatures that are lower than the determined temperature can then be eliminated from immediate consideration.

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EPRI Licensed Material Susceptibility of Cables to Aging

For plants that do not know the specific cables in use, scoping can be performed using procurement records, the experience of I&C and maintenance personnel, and walkdowns. The cable types (material and manufacturer information) used in the plant can be determined from procurement records, which the EQ group will have for harsh environment safety cables. When necessary, industry materials databases can be queried concerning Arrhenius aging model activation energies and radiation capability. Cable materials can then be evaluated to determine the areas where cables will age prematurely. The experience of plant personnel should help to reduce the number of cable types that will need to be considered for a given area. If short lives are found for certain types of cables, walkdowns might be necessary to determine the cable types in actual use in those areas. As an alternative to evaluating the expected life of the cables for individual areas, the temperature limit for a life (for the period of operation plus five to ten years) can be used to determine a temperature of concern for each cable type. Plant areas having temperatures equal to or greater than the temperature of concern could be reviewed more specifically. In general, if high normal radiation conditions exist, temperatures will tend to be elevated. Therefore, identifying cables subject to high temperature often identifies high-radiation cables. Identification of cables potentially affected by chemical conditions, thus, requires review of the chemical systems in the plant where leakage or handling could allow cables to become contaminated. Long-term exposure of cables to moisture can affect certain applications, especially if saltwater is involved. Water can accelerate the aging of medium-voltage cables, depending on the type of material and construction. Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) constructions manufactured in the early 1970s were particularly susceptible to electrical deterioration under wet conditions. Ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) constructions are less susceptible, but do eventually deteriorate when subjected to long-term exposure to moisture. Jacketing styles have significant effect on life. A full-metal sheath (not armor, which is not waterproof) can keep the insulation completely dry. More modern polymer water-resistant jackets reduce water ingress and increase life. Instantaneous failure does not occur in wet conditions; however, electrical deterioration of wet medium-voltage cablesespecially in combination with elevated physical (severe bending or compression) or thermal stresscan lead to early failure. For low-voltage cable, wetting generally does not lead to insulation failure. However, moisture could cause corrosion of airinsulated terminations and lead to high-resistance connections or shorting in the vicinity of the terminations. Such conditions occur only in areas subject to frequent condensing moisture where cabinet heaters are not in use.

4.2

Use of Environmental Monitoring in Cable Aging Management

Further discrimination between cables that are expected to deteriorate and those that will have a long life can be done using actual plant conditions rather than normal design temperatures. Monitoring the temperature and radiation conditions in a plant space can help establish its actual condition. The duration of the monitoring should be such that the variations in normal temperature are well understood. The temperature and radiation data are then used to establish conservative actual conditions for use in evaluating cable life. 4-2

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For rooms with severe environments, the normal temperature and radiation levels are rarely uniform. Generally, the conditions are worse near a process line or valve. A review of the areas physical layout by walkdown or use of equipment layout drawings might reveal locations where normal operating conditions are more severe. Evaluation of the location of cable trays, conduits, and termination cabinets, with respect to the source of energy, indicates areas where localized temperature or radiation monitoring is desirable. These data allow more precise evaluation of the cables in localized adverse environments [3].

4.3

Understanding the Cable System

When starting a cable aging management program, understanding the design and configuration of the cable system is critical. Many philosophies have been employed in the development of plant cable systems; some plants were turnkey while others were designed by or had heavy input from the owner on the techniques to be used. Some designs pre-dated current separation concepts and used plant-unique methods. Many plants had to backfit fire separation, resulting in fire protection insulation being installed over cable trays. Cable systems might also have evolved over the life of the plant, with different cable types used for later modifications and differences in terminations and tray and conduit systems. The aging of cable systems is affected by the basic design and construction methods used in a plant. Some plants used very conservative cable derating factors to ensure that voltage drop would be limited in circuits. Such deratings also limit ohmic heating, reducing the thermal aging of cables. Differences in fire protection systems can also affect heat transfer and cable temperatures.

4.4

Interviews of Plant Staff

A key means of identifying actual adverse environments is through interviewing electrical maintenance and I&C personnel. They might be aware of previous cable problems and degradation because their day-to-day work brings them in contact with the cable system. Degradation from causes that are not related to temperature and radiation might also be identified. In addition, these personnel might identify other issues that need to be addressed in cable aging management. After a cable aging management program has been initiated, plant personnel should be encouraged to forward cable system aging issues to the individual responsible for the program. Such information helps to ensure that aging issues are resolved before they significantly affect a population of cables within the system. These interviews should occur as soon as possible when starting the aging management effort. This enables gathering of information before knowledgeable personnel retire or move on. The initial effort should be in group-format where a few questions are asked to start the thinking process. At least one person should be available to take detailed notes and another cableknowledgeable person should help the interviewees by asking questions that will produce additional insight and information concerning cable aging, observed damage, and repairs and replacements that have taken place.

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EPRI Licensed Material Susceptibility of Cables to Aging

For low- and medium-voltage cables and safety and non-safety cables, some interview-starting questions include: Have cable failures occurred? If so, where were they and what were the causes? During instrument or equipment maintenance, has cable damage, cracking, or discoloration been observed? If so, where was the damage and what equipment was connected to the cables? What corrective actions were taken when cable failure or damage was observed? Has damage to connectors and terminations been observed? Has cable support system (trays, conduits, ducts) damage been observed? Has water buildup in conduits and ducts been observed? Have some locations in the plant been observed as excessively hot? If so, where were these locations? Do cables have to be routinely replaced due to rapid aging? Has corrosion damage to terminations been observed in the in-take structure and other damp building areas? Have failures or degradation of local hook-up wiring been a problem?

When responses are received that indicate a cable or connection problem, further questions should be asked to determine the physical location of the problem, the time that the event occurred, and the nature of the cause. The type of corrective action should be ascertained to ensure that the problem is fully resolved. The focus should not only be on insulation problems and some straying from the direct topic area of cables should be allowed. Aging of terminations, connectors, and cable support systems will also affect the functionality of the cable system. The gathering of the experience data will accomplish two things. It will firm up the design and aging assessment review and allow a reality check. It will also identify situations where aging and damage that are not solely due to thermal and radiation aging have been observed. Deterioration from adverse vibration, high moisture, or chemical environments might be identified. Each identified incident should be recorded and considered with respect to plant safety and operation. In a 2- to 3-hour session, numerous cable issues and resolutions will be identified, as will ongoing conditions that might require redesign or overview by an aging management program. As needed, follow-up interviews with individuals should be performed to gather and check details. The purpose of the interviews is not to assure that there is no aging or that all aging issues have been resolved but rather to gather data on locations and applications where aging or damage has been observed. The key to aging management is knowing where the adverse conditions are and their level of severity with respect to the capabilities of the cables and accessories. 4-4

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4.5

Sources and Attributes of Aging

There are three basic components of cables that can age: the conductor, the jacket, and the insulation. In general, the conductor will age much more slowly than the insulation and jacket materials. A few special cases are described at the end of this section. For low-voltage cable, the main causes of aging that will be observed in a nuclear power plant are temperature and, to a more limited extent, radiation. Electrical deterioration will not be observed in low-voltage cable (<1000 Vac or dc). The ratio of insulation thicknesses to applied voltage is much larger than the ratio at which electrical deterioration would be possible. In low-voltage cable, insulation thicknesses are very large, with respect to electrical needs, in order to provide mechanical strength necessary for the riggers of installation. Electrical deterioration of medium-voltage cable is beyond the scope of this discussion and will be covered separately. Thermal- and radiationinduced damage mechanisms apply to medium-voltage cable; however, satisfactory physical properties in medium-voltage cable might not be indicative of the ability of medium-voltage cable to continue to function. For low-voltage cable, satisfactory physical properties generally do indicate that the cable will function satisfactorily. In nearly all cases, low-voltage cable will function satisfactorily, even when aged to the point of being brittle. Only after a crack occurs will electrical properties be adversely affected. Cracking of modern insulations occurs only after severe aging, coupled with physical bending after aging. The sources of aging are ohmic heating from current, temperature, and radiation from the environment. For most safety-related cables, ohmic heating is almost nonexistent. The one possible exception is in cables used for containment coolers at PWRs. These cables might experience limited ohmic heating. Most other applications are either normally de-energized or carry little load compared to the ampacity of the cable. Therefore, for safety-related cable, nearly all aging of the polymers is induced from the ambient environment. The most important cause of long-term aging of the cable system is thermal aging. Nuclear power plants have many hot spaces and process equipment, often due to the need to limit spread of radioactive contaminants. Depending on plant type and vintage, areas of the containment, steam tunnel, and below the turbine, especially for BWRs, can have elevated temperatures and localized adverse environments. Most cables have insulations designed for conductor temperatures of 90C (194F) and greater. However, these ratings are based on ambient temperatures of 40C (104F). Long life for these cables occurs when ambient temperatures are lower. Above 50C (122F), these cables begin to age more rapidly, with aging occurring exponentially more rapidly as temperatures increase. At and below 40C (104F), aging might not be appreciable at 60 years. At 90C (194F), jacket aging will be detectable within a few years for many of the cables in use. For most insulations and jackets, aging causes hardening of the material. The elongation-at-break (E-at-B) of the material and, ultimately, the tensile strength, will decrease. The elongation-atbreak will change from a few hundred percent to less than 50%. The material will become stiff and, when only a few percent E-at-B exists, the insulation will crack when subjected to bending stresses. EPR and XLPE do not spontaneously crack. They will remain a brittle tube with no appreciable change in electrical properties. Once bending causes cracking, contaminants and moisture bridging the cracks can cause shorting. With no bending subsequent to the aging, the material will remain an insulating tube. The only additional concern beyond bending would be 4-5

EPRI Licensed Material Susceptibility of Cables to Aging

failures of certain materials under steam accident condition. Such a problem is being evaluated currently for EPR insulation with bonded Hypalon jackets. Once severely aged, the Hypalon jacket can crack under a steam accident condition. The crack then propagates through the EPR, exposing the conductor. Research is underway to identify the degree of aging at which failure would be expected under steam accident conditions. Radiation will also cause hardening of most insulation materials. Both temperature and radiation cause an increased degree of cross-linking of the long-chain polymer molecules in rubber materials. Cross-linking causes the material to be more rigid and reduces flexibility. Ultimately, the material also experiences scission, in which the long-chains break into smaller segments. At that point, the material has little remaining tensile strength and less effort is required to create a crack upon bending the material. Thermal aging of PVC causes the material used as a plasticizer to evaporate. The plasticizer prevents the long-chain molecules from cross-linking and allows flexibility. Once the plasticizer is lost, PVC becomes rigid. Although PVC is harder than neoprene and Hypalon when new, it is quite flexible. Increased stiffening will indicate aging. In addition to thermal aging, some PVCs are susceptible to ultraviolet radiation. EPR is a relatively soft insulation that ages very slowly. In nuclear plant cables, EPR generally has a Hypalon jacket directly over the insulation. When the Hypalon is bonded to the EPR during manufacture, the insulation is called a composite insulation system. In this case, the Hypalon can become the controlling factor during the aging process, especially for cables requiring environmental qualification. The Hypalon ages significantly faster than EPR when exposed to aging stresses from the ambient environment (see the Hypalon discussion below). Fluorescent lighting fixtures are a key source of ultraviolet radiation in power plants. Spontaneous cracking of PVC jackets can be observed when the lighting fixture is close to the PVC cable. Neoprene and Hypalon and radiation-resistant insulations are not susceptible to ultraviolet light damage. Within-containment radiation levels will generally cause less damage than thermal aging, except for locations where radiation streaming occurs through the biological shield wall around process piping. Specific inspection of cables subject to streaming might be desirable. Adverse Condition Locations In most cases, high-temperature conditions will be localized near hot process piping or in the upper reaches of confined spaces containing process equipment. Very localized hot conditions also occur in electrical housings of continuously energized, solenoid-operated valves. As such, damage to cables will more likely be in areas where the cable runs adjacent to or is connected to a hot process pipe or component. In most cases, the end device connected to the cable will be the hottest portion of the cable. In some cases, however, cable trays or conduits can be located near hot process equipment such as heat exchangers or headers. When evaluating cable, the run of the tray and conduit system should be considered to determine if additional hot spots (adverse localized environments) occur at locations other than the end device.

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EPRI Licensed Material

5
ASSESSMENT OF THE CABLE SYSTEM
5.1 Determining Where to Look

EPRI report, Guideline for the Management of Adverse Localized Equipment Environments [3], provides detailed guidance for the systematic review of a power plant for adverse environmental conditions (hot spots). Naturally, cables located in the hottest, most adverse conditions should be given priority for early inspection. License renewal assessments of the cable system will provide insight regarding the hottest rooms in the plant and the rough ability of cables to withstand the conditions. However, these calculations might not completely describe cable aging. Most cables in the plant will not be subjected to severe aging conditions. A physical assessment of the cables in the most severe environments will indicate if aging is proceeding as expected within the plant. Understanding the pace of aging will provide a sound basis for the Cable Aging Management Program. A starting point for a systematic review is to consider areas with a continuous average temperature above 50C (122F). Rubber-jacketed cables age exponentially faster as temperatures increase above 50C (122F). Review of safety and operationally important cables in hot areas will provide direct information concerning aging in the areas of the plant with cooler temperatures. If the hot-area cables are not experiencing significant aging, the cables in cooler areas will have experienced less severe aging and be in satisfactory condition as well. The exceptions to this statement are cables that are located in very high-dose rate areas having low temperature, and cables operating at their ampacity limit. In general, elevated radiation conditions (for example, 10s of megarads/40 years) coincide with high-temperature zones. However, radiation streaming around piping penetrations in the biological shield can cause localized radiation zones in relatively cool sections of containment and, if streaming issues exist at a plant, review of the severity of aging in the streaming cone area should be reviewed. With respect to aging from ohmic heating on high current cables, the sizing calculations for most plants limit loadings to 80% of ampacity or less. Voltage drop calculations might have further limited current loadings on cables. If cable currents have been limited to 80% of the ampacity, the expected temperature rise at the conductor will be limited to 64% of that expected. For a 90C (194F)-rated cable, the temperature rise at the conductor should be 32C (90F) or less. Aging in ambients that are 40C (104F) or less should proceed slowly. Review of high-current cable applications should readily identify conditions where currents are high relative to the ampacity of the cable. If a concern is identified, measurement of the actual current should be performed. Operating currents are often lower than the currents listed in design calculations and the rate of aging would be reduced accordingly. Temperature rise is proportional to the square of the current; therefore, reducing the current a small amount can have a significant effect.

5-1

EPRI Licensed Material Assessment of the Cable System

High-current cable circuits in applications such as auxiliary and startup transformer leads can have problems even when currents are limited in theory to values less than the ampacity of the cables. Such cable circuits often have multiple cables per phase. The magnetic fields around the individual cables can induce significant imbalances in the currents of the individual cables. To prevent such imbalances, cable engineers require transposition in the location of the cables with respect to one another at various points along the routing. If the transposition is not performed during installation, or is done incorrectly, the loadings on the individual cables can be well beyond the ampacity of the conductor, causing the cable to overheat while others are underloaded. The author witnessed a case where one plant had some cables with 350 amps and an adjacent cable with 700 amps, well beyond its ampacity limit. Severe hardening of the cable occurred at a fire stop where heat transfer was poor. A fault occurred on the connected transformer and the 5 kV cable cracked to the conductor when the cable jumped due to the magnetic surge from the fault current. Review of the installation of cable busses of this type is highly recommended. Identification of adverse environments by analyzing the plant for locations of hot process piping and high radiation conditions, and by review of documentation, will provide part of the necessary information. Such a review is performed as a step in the license renewal process and the results of the review should be preserved for use in development and formalization of the cable system aging management process. Areas Prone to Cable Degradation High temperature is the most common cause of deterioration of cable insulations and jackets within nuclear plants. Severe irradiation can also cause insulation and jacket deterioration. For radiation to cause significant damage over the life of a cable, the dose would have to be tens of megarads. In most cases, such high doses would also be accompanied by relatively high temperatures. Areas with 50C (122F) or higher temperatures would be of interest with respect to thermal damage. A temperature of 50C (122F) could affect Hypalon-EPR and HypalonXLPE cables near the end of plant life. Higher temperatures could affect cables much sooner. Areas to inspect for potential insulation and jacket damage include: Mainsteam isolation valve (MSIV) limit switch cables Cables near MSIVs and primary piping Mainsteam tunnel cables Primary Loop RTD cables at RTD head Cables landed directly in housings of continuously energized solenoid-operated valve coils Cables under the turbine (BWR) Cables under the reactor (BWR Mark 1) Cables for motor-operated valves (MOVs) on primary piping

5-2

EPRI Licensed Material Assessment of the Cable System

Head vent valve cables (BWRs) Cables near heat exchangers Cables in pressurizer cavity (PWRs)

In addition to the condition of field cables in these locations, local wiring should be evaluated for deterioration. In addition to radiation and temperature, water and chemicals can cause deterioration of exposed conductor and conductor-to-lug interfaces. Corrosion at terminations in wet areas can be significant, particularly in salt environments. Accordingly, intake structure terminations should be examined, especially at saltwater-cooled plants.

5.2

Initial Inspection

The scoping and analysis efforts described in Section 4 will identify rooms and locations in which specific cable types could have shortened lifetimes. Once this information is known, the types of cables with an expected short life must be evaluated to determine the attributes that can be considered during visual/tactile inspection. Table 5-1 provides examples of degradation that can and cannot be observed during physical inspection of a cable. The inspection of cable trays, conduits, terminations, and individual cables can directly indicate aging or can be limited to identifying adverse conditions. Discoloration, hardening, and weeping of plasticizers (PVC insulation only) are indications of degradation of cable polymers. Discoloration and weeping can be visually identified. Hardening requires a slight manipulation of the cable to determine the degree of flexibility. Neoprene and Hypalon, the most common jacket materials1 in use in nuclear plants, harden with time when exposed to elevated temperature and radiation conditions. Neoprene ages the most rapidly. The hardening is significant and, with training, an inspector can distinguish new cable from moderately aged cable and very aged cable from moderately aged cable. Therefore, the jacket of these cables provides a means of detecting aging caused by the ambient environment. Although deterioration of the jacket material does not necessarily mean that the insulation on the conductors has deteriorated, jacket deterioration does indicate the presence of a relatively severe normal environment. Cables with deteriorated jackets need to be evaluated further to ensure long-term normal function and accident withstand capability.

PVC is used for jackets by some plants in outside containment applications.

5-3

EPRI Licensed Material Assessment of the Cable System Table 5-1 Degradation Observable During Physical Cable Inspection Cable Type Rubber-jacketed (neoprene/Hypalon), PVC-jacketed Installation Type In trays Degradation Hardening from thermal and radiation aging; discoloration from very severe conditions. Means of Inspection/Evaluation Visual/tactile; hardening is easy to identify with very slight flexing. (Identification of hot process equipment adjacent to the cable is possible.) Evaluation is the same as above but possible only in junction and termination boxes. Physical changes are observable only at terminations using technique described above. Severity of environments from process piping and equipment is observable allowing inferences. (Removal of armor is possible but must be performed with extreme care.) Physical sample must be removed to evaluate the degree of aging. Jackets on multi-conductor cables will deteriorate more rapidly and can be used as an indicator of stress to the cable. Electrical deterioration is not observable by physical evaluation. Hardening of polymers might be observable from temperature and radiation. Adverse conditions might be observed.

Rubber-jacketed (neoprene/Hypalon), PVC-jacketed Armored cable

In conduit

Hardening from thermal and radiation aging; discoloration from very severe conditions. Hardening of polymers.

In trays

Cross-linked polyethylene

In trays, conduits for multiconductor cable; in panels and junction boxes for single conductor Where visible

No effects of normal aging are observable. Extreme conditions will cause discoloration.

Medium-voltage cable

Effects of thermal aging and radiation aging. Electrical deterioration might be more significant.

When performing visual inspection, the cable and its vicinity need to be reviewed to determine if other adverse conditions exist such as damage, physical stress, and oil, water, or chemicals on the surface. Cables affected by these conditions should be evaluated.

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EPRI Licensed Material Assessment of the Cable System

The initial assessments should concentrate on locations having more severe environments. If the cables in these areas are not aging appreciably, then, by inference, the remainder of the system should not be aging either. From the analysis, cables that are expected to age significantly in the period of operation to date plus five to ten years should be considered for evaluation, with preference to those cables under hi0ghest stress. The five-to-ten-year additional window will help ensure that cables that could age in the next few operating cycles are observed, as well as those that might already have aged. For most plants, the number of cables to be observed and the number of locations to inspect should not be large. The initial inspection can be limited to observing cables in set locations rather than having a complete list of individual cables. The key concern is to distinguish deteriorated cables from those exhibiting little or no deterioration. No real need exists to evaluate cables from specific circuits within trays. Rather, the goal is to determine if the cables are deteriorating significantly at the point of worst-case environment. Inspectors must keep in mind that deterioration might be limited to areas immediately adjacent to the heat or radiation source. Even a few feet away from the source, conditions might be much more benign and no appreciable damage will have occurred. Therefore, cables should be inspected at the point of highest stress, which most often is in a location adjacent to or on a process pipe or hot piece of equipment. Physical inspections need to be planned, with consideration given to access during operation and outage periods, as well as consideration of the need for ladders and scaffolding. Often, the cable segment most in need of inspection with respect to adverse environment, is difficult to access. Integration of cable inspection with equipment maintenance or replacement is highly recommended. Access might be the easiest at these times, even if inspectors must schedule their effort around maintenance efforts. Inspectors should also carry tools for opening junction boxes, flashlights, and cloths for cleaning cable surfaces as needed. Indication of electrical deterioration of medium-voltage cable2 is generally not identifiable from visual inspection. However, adverse conditions can be observed, indicating that further evaluation and testing might be desirable. Adverse conditions include wet conduits and duct banks, tight bends, proximity to hot process lines, and pinching or cutting by cable rungs (especially at the top of a vertical run). The voltage gradients in medium-voltage cable are severe enough to cause electrical deterioration at points of elevated physical and thermal stress, severe insulation compression points, disruption to shields, and discontinuities and inclusions in insulation. The presence of moisture often increases the rate of deterioration. Electrical deterioration is observable in some cases where unshielded insulation is in contact with grounded surroundings. In such cases, partial discharge activity might be severe enough to cause physical erosion of the surface of the polymer. Observation of adverse effects might warrant electrical testing or modification of the installed condition to remove the unwanted stress or intensifier. Research indicates that nuclear-grade cables, subject to combined ambient and ohmic heating temperatures of 50C (122F) or less, have lives in excess of 40 years and generally lives that are

Low-voltage cables do not deteriorate from electrical stresses because voltage gradients are low with respect to the electrical properties of the insulation.

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EPRI Licensed Material Assessment of the Cable System

longer than 60 years3. Above 50C (122F), cable life is material-dependent and shortens rapidly as temperature increases. Temperature is not the only stress affecting cables, however, as radiation and harsh chemical environments can also affect cables. In nearly all cases, however, normal radiation exposures cause limited deterioration of cable materials. Most radiation damage from normal exposure occurs on safety-related cables terminated directly on process piping containing radioactive fluids, or when cables are in the direct shine of radiation streaming from openings surrounding pipes that breach the biological shield surrounding the reactor. Cables inside of the biological shield are generally non-safety but can affect operations and would be subject to radiation damage from neutron fluence and gamma radiation.

Silicone rubber cables can withstand much higher temperatures for very long periods.

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EPRI Licensed Material

6
ACTIONS SUBSEQUENT TO INITIAL ASSESSMENT
6.1 Introduction

Following the first evaluation of the worst-case cables, the plant owner has a number of choices. If severely deteriorated cable is identified, it will have to be replaced or repaired in the near-term. Identification of moderate deterioration requires further consideration because it indicates that aging is underway. The owner needs to determine if the rate of deterioration is severe enough to warrant cable replacement prior to the end of plant life. If moderate deterioration is identified near the end of plant life, the cables will most likely be satisfactory without replacement. However, if moderate deterioration is detected in midlife, then the deterioration should be characterized. Formal characterization of the condition of the cable might be desirable to determine if or when replacement is necessary. Cable condition-monitoring techniques have been and continue to be developed, and libraries of condition versus aging data are becoming available for use.

6.2

Low-Voltage Cable

For the low-voltage cabling system, condition monitoring techniques include the following: Indenter Polymer Aging Monitor a device that measures the compressive modulus of neoprene, Hypalon, and PVC cable jackets to identify the degree of hardening Various chemical tests, including swell and gel factor (XLPE and PVC) Oxidation induction time and oxidation induction temperature (XLPE) Nuclear magnetic resonance inferometry (XLPE and EPR [under development]) Density (XLPE and EPR)

The indenter is nondestructive and can be used in a plant. The remaining tests require that a 1 to 10-milligram sample of jacket or insulation be removed and tested in a laboratory. Aging characteristic curves have been and continue to be developed for these techniques. There are no electrical tests listed here. For low-voltage cable1, which represents the bulk of the cable under consideration, electrical tests are not yet useful in evaluating the aging of cable polymers. The changes in electrical properties are nearly undetectable from even the most severe
1

Medium-voltage nuclear plant cables (4 to 15 kV) are more amenable to electrical testing. However, selection and use of such electrical tests is beyond the scope of this report and must be approached with caution. EPRI report TR-114333 [4] provides a discussion of the state of the art in electrical testing of medium-voltage cable.

6-1

EPRI Licensed Material Actions Subsequent to Initial Assessment

thermal and radiation aging. To complicate matters, most low-voltage cables are unshielded, thereby making electrical testing more difficult due to the lack of ground plane around the insulation system under test. Therefore, condition-monitoring tests for low-voltage cable are restricted to tests that evaluate the chemical and physical properties of the polymers, which indicate the degree of embrittlement that could lead to cracking. If cracks occur either spontaneously or from physical disturbance, shorting can occur upon exposure to moisture or other conducting contaminant. A plant owner must consider the relative cost of use of these condition-monitoring techniques. If only one cable is aging, periodic replacement of that cable is the least expensive means of aging management. However, if a number of cables are aging, condition monitoring is much more advantageous because the results would indicate when portions of the cable population needed to be replaced. Condition monitoring would also aid in the scheduling of replacements, to obtain the longest life from the cables and to optimize outages. If severe deterioration is observed, modifications to the plant might be desirable, including addition of cooling, radiation shielding, rerouting of cables, or use of cables with jackets and insulations that are more resistant to the operating conditions. These efforts will provide the feedback necessary to identify the significance of aging of the low-voltage cable system.

6.3

Medium-Voltage Cable

The following activities will help identify the degree to which medium-voltage cable might be degrading: Identify the types and configuration of medium-voltage cable installed in the plant. Determine the materials of construction of the cable. The materials include black EPR (ethylene propylene rubber), pink EPR, and tan EPR, and XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene). Most plants will have a type of EPR rather than XLPE. Identify those cables that are subject to long-term wet conditions. Identify those cables that operate at or very near their ampacity rating. Identify areas where medium-voltage cable have vertical runs of 25 or more feet (7.6 m).

The materials of construction of a medium-voltage cable provide an indication of its expected life, especially under wet conditions. Wetting of medium-voltage cables does not cause immediate failure; the cables that are used in nuclear plants are designed for direct burial and, therefore, for wet conditions. However, unless the cable has a lead sheath or other completely sealed metallic sheath, water will reduce the electrical life of the polymers. Therefore, given that cables are properly installed (that is, no installation damage, adverse bends, or crimped conditions), wet cables or segments of cables will tend to fail sooner than dry sections. Wet spaces can occur underground and also inside the plant in below-floor sections of conduit and duct that are not drained. The below-floor sections can fill from condensation of moisture alone. For XLPE manufactured in the early 1970s, a life as short as 10 years might occur under wet energized conditions. For black EPR, failures can be expected to begin under wet, energized conditions between 20 and 25 years of service. The newer pink EPR insulations have longer 6-2

EPRI Licensed Material Actions Subsequent to Initial Assessment

lives. Cables that have currents near their ampacity limit will sustain some thermal damage from ohmic heating. If these cables are wet as well, their operating life might be shorter. Cables with long vertical runs must be properly supported. If vertical supports were not installed or have failed, the weight of the cable might cause compression of the support point at the top of the run or might actually cause excessive tension on the segment of cable at the top of the run. Such physical stresses can also adversely affect insulation life and cause early failure. Medium-voltage cables have electrical deterioration mechanisms. The resulting deterioration cannot be detected by visual/tactile inspection and, in general, cannot be evaluated by electrical testing. The evaluation of this population indicates the cables at highest risk of failure in the near-term and those cables that can be expected to have a very long life. The evaluation allows determinations to be made as to whether proof testing, refurbishment, or replacement should be implemented [4].

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EPRI Licensed Material

7
IN-PLANT CABLE EVALUATION
7.1 Introduction

This section is based upon experience gained during in-plant assessment of cables by visual/tactile assessment and Indenter testing. The Indenter is a test device that evaluates the modulus of the cable jacket or insulation wall. As many cable polymers age, they tend to harden. The Indenter allows evaluation in the change in modulus (hardness) and comparison of the results to existing aging data. While many of the insights were gained during Indenter use, they are applicable to any form of cable system inspection and condition monitoring.

7.2

Planning

Prior to entering the plant, the cable system assessor must determine the boundaries of the inspection and/or testing program to be performed. This discussion assumes that a limited assessment is being performed rather than a 100% walkdown. The following are possible steps to take: 1. Determine the circuits of interest. Examples could be safety circuits located in environments that would be exposed to an accident environment if one occurred, or cables in a specific area with severe normal conditions. 2. Determine the types of cables in the circuits of interest if possible. Some plants will have records of specific cable types that were used in specific applications; others purchased certain cable types from a limited number of manufacturers and know the types of cables that could be in use. Other plants can only determine the type of cable in use by physical inspection. For this last set of plants, the type of cable in use will be determined during the inspection. 3. Identify the severity of the expected normal environments for the circuits of interest to allow focus of the effort to be on the more severe environment applications. 4. Determine the support system (for example, tray, conduit, duct) and routing for the circuits of interest from available layout drawings. Some plants might only be able to readily identify the location of the end devices for the circuits. Others might have full routing information in their records. Identify the rooms through which the cables pass, and the tray, duct, or conduit numbers. This preliminary work will allow the number of cable circuits to be reduced to a smaller scope than all cables in the plant. Reviewing similar applications to identify a circuit typical of others is 7-1

EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

likely to provide sufficient insight concerning overall cable system health, and it might also allow a reduction of scope.

7.3

Training

The planning effort is useful and helps focus the cable evaluation task. However, the initial inplant work will identify many issues and obstacles to performing cable testing and inspection that cannot be understood from a paper review alone. Cable trays, conduits, and junction boxes are often located well above the floor and sometimes behind or above other equipment. Access is often difficult and might require scaffolding and ladders. Limited access can greatly hamper, if not stop, cable assessment. Therefore, especially when performing initial in-plant inspections, the assessors must be flexible in their approach and be willing to inspect accessible cables. Otherwise, the inspection will require additional planning and cost to ensure that scaffolds or other access methods are in place at the time of the inspection. A key part of more sophisticated cable assessments is the identification of equipment that will be accessible during an outage. Knowing where scaffolds and other staging systems will be and taking advantage of them to access cables, will allow inspections and tests to take place that might otherwise be impossible to perform without unreasonable cost and time expenditure. Evaluation of the work to be performed during an outage will allow inspection of cable that might have very infrequent accessibility. 7.3.1 Cable Familiarization Prior to any inspection, the inspector/tester needs to understand the types of cable that are in use. Review of the cable types that have been purchased will prove the total number of types of cable in use at the plant. The list of cables of interest should indicate the expected types of cable in use including manufacturer, materials, and configurations. Manufacturers literature will provide descriptions of the cables. In addition, samples of unaged cable should be obtained for familiarization. It is not critical to obtain a specimen of every configuration of a manufacturers family of a specific cable type (for example, Rockbestos Firewall III with XLPE insulation and Hypalon jacketing). Rather, at least one example of the cable family should be obtained. The sample should be long enough to allow a segment of jacket to be removed, so that the components of the cable are exposed including insulated conductors, fillers, shields, and drain wires. These unaged specimens will provide the inspector with information on the: 7-2 Construction of the cable Size of the conductors and overall cable Thickness of jackets, insulation, and insulation jacket (EPR/Hypalon configurations) Fillers used to round the cable Texture and feel of jackets and insulations Flexibility of overall cable Hardness of jackets and insulations

EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

Color of components Configuration (number of conductors, shields, and drains in the instrument cable) Markings (overall cable label, footage indications) Pigmentation of insulation, if any Conductor stranding and tinning

Understanding the properties of unaged cable is critical to identifying the aging of a cable system. Some cables, such as EPR insulation with neoprene or Hypalon jacketing, are soft and flexible when unaged. Some are relatively hard and stiff, such as XLPE, PVC, and CPE insulations. Knowing the unaged state allows the inspector to detect color, hardness, and flexibility changes that are indicative of significant aging. 7.3.2 Expected Changes with Aging Some cable materials experience significant physical change as they age. Others change very little until they are extremely advanced in age. Understanding the attributes of the aging of materials allows assessment of continued ability to function. The following summarizes some of the attributes that might be observed: CSPE chlorosulfonated polyethylene(see Hypalon) EPR ethylene propylene rubber is a relatively soft insulation that ages very slowly. In nuclear plant cables, EPR generally has a Hypalon jacket directly over the insulation. When the Hypalon is bonded to the EPR during manufacture, the insulation is called a composite insulation system. The Hypalon can become the controlling factor during the aging process, especially for cables requiring environmental qualification. The Hypalon ages significantly faster than EPR when exposed to aging stresses from the ambient environment (see the Hypalon discussion below). XLPE cross-linked polyethylene is a relatively hard, plastic insulation. Very little change will be observable in the material during aging. It will remain hard to the touch but will not harden or stiffen appreciably with age. To discern the degree of aging, chemical tests must be performed in a laboratory. However, XLPE-insulated conductors are generally covered with a jacket material, such as Hypalon, neoprene, or PVC, that ages in a manner that is discernable with visual/manual and physical test methods, well before significant aging of the XLPE occurs. Hypalon chlorosulfonated polyethylene is a chemical- and fire-resistant rubber, sometimes used as insulation, but more often used as a cable jacket. The material hardens with age much more rapidly than EPR and XLPE, but much more slowly than neoprene. The material gradually hardens after a significant induction period1, thus, measurement or assessment of its physical condition will indicate the degree of aging that has occurred in service. When aging is caused by the ambient environment rather than by ohmic heating from conductor loading, the hardening of Hypalon is a leading indicator of aging. The material ages faster than the insulation it covers.
1

Induction period: The period in the early life of a material in which physical properties are stable or change very little.

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EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

Neoprene chloroprene is a rubber used as an overall jacket that is solvent- and oil-resistant. Like Hypalon, this material hardens with age, however, it ages more rapidly than Hypalon for a given aging condition. Neoprene jacketing can also be used as a leading indicator of aging for the insulations it covers. PVC polyvinyl chloride is a plastic insulation requiring a plasticizer to allow it to be flexible. Under thermal aging, the material hardens as the plasticizer evaporates. Under certain conditions, the plasticizer might migrate to the surface of the cable and be observed as a sticky film. In some cases, excess plasticizer and chlorine residue might be observed as a green residue at the conductor interface at terminations. PVC is generally not used as an insulation in safety-related applications in U.S. plants but might be used as an overall jacket or as a jacket over conductor insulation such as butyl rubber. PVC insulation might be more common in non-safety applications in U.S. nuclear power plants. Under severe radiation exposures, PVC insulation will create HCl ions. The HCl ions become conductive when exposed to steam, greatly reducing the insulation resistance of the material. Butyl rubber an earlier insulation, used infrequently in U.S. plants. Under irradiation, the 7 material softens with a 20% change in properties identifiable at 10 rads [5]. Therefore, the material is not used in containment safety-related applications. The material often has a PVC conductor jacket. Butyl rubber will harden under thermal aging. The PVC conductor jacket can be used as an aging indicator. In summary, the common insulations age slowly and might not provide useful indications of aging for detection by visual/manual means. However, the common jacketing materials, Hypalon, neoprene, and PVC (the least common), do experience physical hardening that can be observed. An EPRI report, Training Aids for Visual/Tactile Inspection of Electrical Cables for Detection of Aging [6], describes training aids that have been developed to teach personnel how cables will age. The training aids contain individual insulated conductors and related cables in the unaged state, as well as with four steps of thermal aging. The aids illustrate construction of commonly used I&C cables and show how the insulations and jackets age. The trainee can determine the visual and tactile differences by examining and manipulating the samples.

7.4

Initial Inspection Efforts

Prior to attempting an assessment of a large number of cables during an outage, new inspectors should perform a trial effort in an easy-to-access area that requires little staging beyond a small ladder. Even with short ladders, some administrative controls might require harness/height training. Working on tall ladders or scaffolds might require harness training for the inspector/testers. Some plants might also not allow work of any kind on energized circuits. Such a requirement will greatly hamper evaluation of low-voltage cables. Hands-on inspection or testing of medium-voltage cables should be limited to de-energized circuits for worker safety. Some plants have areas that are clean from the floor to approximately 7 feet (213 cm), but require radiological protection surveys for areas above that height. Given that most of the cable

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EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

system is located 7 feet (213 cm) or more above the floor, the need for radiation surveys can provide an additional impediment to cable inspection. The inspector will need some or all of the following: Flashlights Drop lights and extension cords Ladders Screwdriver/wrench for opening junction boxes and removing tray covers Wipe rags Layout maps for identifying circuit locations (Reduced size drawings are recommended. Large drawings are cumbersome to handle in radiologically controlled areas.) Clipboard, paper, pens Inspection mirror Camera (digital if possible) Sturdy carrying bags for noted items (Beware of plastic bags with seams that might split when loaded. Chasing items through gratings in containment is not a desirable pastime.)

The initial effort should be limited to areas with no radiation contamination and easy access to a few trays and junction boxes. This will allow the inspector to understand some of the challenges of doing an inspection, without having radiation protection clothing and gloves to impede the inspection, and without elevated temperature and confined workspace constraints. The inspector must be flexible in the approach chosen. Cables are rarely located in areas that are convenient for inspections. What looks possible to assess on an equipment layout drawing often does not reflect the in-plant reality. Creativity in acquiring the information needed from the inspection is necessary. Oftentimes, review of the installation can provide insight into whether aging will be significant or if evaluation of another inspectable cable will provide the needed insight. Having a ladder available for the inspections, or at least knowing where one can be obtained, is important. Having an experienced electrician as an inspection team member will assure being able to find ladders, tools, and electrical outlets when needed. The experienced electrician might also know where the trays, conduits, and equipment associated with the cables are located, greatly reducing the time needed to hunt for these items and, thus, greatly reducing the time needed for the inspection.

7.5

Identification of Cable Circuits Within the Plant

The new inspector will be able to understand the difficulty of locating the cable of interest even under easy conditions and even when a formal planning effort has been performed. If the cable is located in a tray, the tray will first have to be identified. An attempt will then have to be made to identify the circuit of interest.

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EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

Within trays, few if any specific cable circuits are identified, although a few plants identify circuits on each side of a fire stop. Very few plants label cables along their routes within trays. At either end of a circuit, the cable can be identified but, in most cases, following that cable for any appreciable distance in a loaded tray will be difficult if not impossible. The degree of difficulty will depend on the number of cables in the tray, the level of similarity between the cable types in the tray, the number of different types of cables in the tray, and the labeling on the cables themselves. Some early cables were not labeled. Therefore, distinguishing between cable types has to be done based on color, texture, and size. For example, a 3 conductor, 12 AWG cable will be significantly different in size from a 7 conductor, 12 AWG, or from a twisted shielded pair 16 AWG instrument cable. If there is only one cable of a specific type that is of interest in a tray filled with cables of a different type, tracing it might be possible. However, oftentimes, a number of cables of the same type are located with a tray so that the cable of interest might not be distinguishable. In reality, identification of a specific cable in a tray might not be critical. Oftentimes, many cables of the same type, manufacturer, and construction are located in a tray. Knowing some basic characteristics of the cable of interest might be enough to allow focus of the assessment on a specific grouping of cables. For example, if the circuit uses a Rockbestos 3/C 12 AWG, XLPE cable, such cables will easily be differentiated from 4 conductor or 7 conductor cables in the same tray. This might reduce the assessment to a dozen similar cables within a tray. If a specific cable can be identified within a tray, following its routing through the tray can still be difficult unless cables have been laid in the tray in an orderly fashion, which is rare. One way to follow a specific cable is to wrap a strip of paper or tie wrap around the cable and pass it along. Even this might not be practical because the cable weaves through the population of cables surrounding it. If it is imperative to follow a single cable, placing a radio signal on the cable and using a receiver to identify the cable along its run is possible. This is not practical, however, if a large number of cables need to be traced. The constraints of disconnection and reconnection of the cables and tracing the radio signal will generally be very significant with respect to the importance of the information gathered. Conduits are labeled in power plants and can be traced from one end to another via the labeling. Identification of specific cables within conduit systems can be relatively easy unless numerous cables are located in very large conduits. In many cases, conduits contain very few cables, and sometimes, only one cable. Therefore, following the conduit will assure identification of the cable. Access to the cable will only be possible at junction and pull boxes or condulets along the run. Use of large conduits with a number of cables will make the identification of a specific cable more complicated, but less difficult than identification of a specific cable in a full tray. To assess cables located in conduits, the inspector will have to locate junction and pull boxes that can be opened for access. Again, these might be located at ceiling level or above openings in the floor, greatly increasing the difficulty of accessing the boxes. Come companies use condulets. Access to cables might be made in el fittings. However, the surface area available for inspection will be minimal and flexing the cable to assess stiffness might be nearly impossible. Additional areas for accessing cables are back planes of switchgear, load centers, and motor control centers. Permission to access such spaces might be necessary and the help of an electrician might also be required. While evaluation of the low-voltage cable is possible, the back 7-6

EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

planes of these types of equipment are generally dangerous because of exposed energized bus bar and termination connectors. Extreme caution is required when inspecting cable condition in the vicinity of exposed energized components.

7.6

In-Plant Work Considerations

7.6.1 Work Within Radiation Zones In addition to protection of personnel, due consideration must be given to protecting equipment used in the inspection and in gaining access and egress within radiation zones. Before making inspections in a radiologically controlled area, consideration should be given to reducing the amount of paper and extraneous material brought into the work area. Paper, while useful for making notes and drawings, often requires extended efforts to clear health physics check points. Accordingly, limited amounts should be taken on any inspection. Test tools will need to be covered to protect them from being contaminated. Special test equipment such as the Indenter will need to be covered, as will the associated computer. The application of coverings should be attempted well before in-plant use to allow special coverings to be devised and a scheme for application and removal to be verified for acceptability. Clear coverings will be required for personal computers. The covering should not impede use of the keyboard, closing of the cover, and connection of cabling. A practice session for carrying and using the computer with coverings in place is recommended to verify that these efforts can be performed while wearing gloves. Portable computers become particularly slippery when covered with a plastic sheath. A short practice session to gain experience in handling the computer when covered might prevent dropping the device with a resulting delay in completing the cable evaluation. 7.6.2 Working at Heights Many cables and trays, and their associated inspection points, are located well above floor level, necessitating climbing and work on scaffolds. Training of inspectors might be required for use of harnesses and working with ladders and scaffolds.

7.7

Walkdowns and Inspections

The assessment of the adverse environments and the interview results will indicate the current status of the cable system and the degree of aging to be expected. If the assessment indicates some severe environment locations, a walkdown and/or inspection of the cables in those locations would be desirable. If a plant is 20 to 25 years old, a walkdown and general evaluation of the worst-case areas from the assessment is recommended, even if the assessment does not indicate that conditions are severe. Such a walkdown will confirm that the assessment is conservative and that there is no immediate or near-term concern for unacceptable aging of the cable system.

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EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

The walkdown/inspection should concentrate on the worst-case environments first. If no aging is observed, then the remainder of the plant should be acceptable. If unacceptable aging is observed, walkdown/inspection of the next less severe environment areas should be scheduled to confirm that the scope of aging degradation is known. Inspection results should be grouped into two categories: 1) conditions of immediate concern and 2) long-term aging effects. If conditions of immediate concern, such as physical damage, improper support, and inadvertent adverse environment conditions (for example, chemical, oil contamination, or incorrect thermal insulation of adjacent equipment) are observed, they should be corrected as soon as possible because they could have an immediate impact on function. Once such conditions are corrected, the functionality of the cable system is improved and further damage should not occur. Long-term aging effects might be severe enough to warrant immediate action. However, even if severe degradation is not observed, aging-induced degradation will continue to worsen or could impact the life of the replacement cable as well. The rate of aging needs to be understood. If a cable ages severely in four to eight years, the wrong cable has been used for the application or it is in an inappropriate location. If a cable ages in 30 years or more, then one replacement over the plant life will suffice and redesign of the application is probably not necessary. If moderate aging is detected at 55 years, replacement of the cable is probably not necessary for a plant that will only operate to 60 years. Therefore, the degree of damage observed must be considered in relation to the period over which the damage occurred. 7.7.1 Types of Walkdown/Inspection Spaces/Room-Based The evaluation of a room or section of the plant lends itself to a coordinate-based assessment. This type of assessment is useful in evaluating a room known or suspected of having a severe normal environment with respect to cable. It is also useful for assessing the overall health of a cable system. In this approach, a room or plant space is divided into specific zones of small enough size that a detailed inspection of the zone is possible. The zones can be defined by structural members or by distinct rooms within the space to be evaluated. Details of such an assessment are provided in Appendix A of EPRI report TR-109619 [3]. The evaluation concentrates on the cables, trays, and conduits within the zone being inspected, no matter how interesting a condition might be outside of the particular zone. Once the cables within the zone have been evaluated, and the conditions have been documented on paper and with a camera, the next zone is evaluated until the complete space has been evaluated. Specific Cable/End Device-Based In this approach, the condition of a specific cable is evaluated starting with the end device and working toward the source of the cable (for example, penetration, Motor Control Center (MCC), or control panel). The inspection of the cable can be limited to severe normal environment zones and not cover the sections that are clearly in benign areas. The condition of the local wiring, terminations, and field cable is evaluated. This will probably require opening of junction boxes and electrical housing covers, and might be coordinated with work on the end device to reduce the number of invasive activities. While most circuits will either be within trays or conduits, the path for the cable can be assessed even if the cable cannot be directly observed. The heat and 7-8

EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

radiation sources along the route of the cable can be evaluated. If the assessment is performed during a plant outage, consideration should be given to differences in environment during periods of operation and shutdown. If the route of the cable passes in close proximity to hot process piping or the trays or conduits are located above hot process lines, consideration should be given to the degree to which these conditions could affect the cables. If the cables are in trays, a localized assessment of the cables in the tray could be performed. The thermal insulation on the process piping should be assessed where the piping is adjacent to the trays and conduits to verify that it is in place and undamaged. Care should be given in evaluating the thermal insulation on the side of high temperature equipment facing toward the tray or conduit. Cases have been observed where thermal lagging was perfect on the side that was easy to observe but severely damaged on the side of the high temperature equipment facing the tray. 7.7.2 Documentation of Findings The findings should be documented on an exception basis; in other words, only problems should be documented. However, for exceptions-based documentation to be most useful, a clearly documented statement of what is acceptable at the time of the assessment needs to be developed and retained. Acceptable conditions for cable and supporting components must be defined so that future assessors can understand the results. Some examples of acceptable conditions are: Tray Systems Support brackets are sound and anchored Covers (when provided) are in place and properly clamped No physical damage to trays No extraneous material (for example, tools and trash) is in trays Cables lay properly in the tray and do not cross over edges or lay perpendicular to axis of tray across edges Cable drop-outs from trays are padded or otherwise protect cable from sharp edges of trays or conduits

Conduits Conduits are appropriately anchored Connections between sections of conduit are not separated Cable entry to conduit is padded to protect cable (bell or other padding provided) Flexible conduits are coupled to mating junction boxes and conduits Flexible conduit coverings and conduit itself are undamaged

Vertical Conduits and Trays Vertical runs of cables are provided with supports appropriate to run length and weight of cable 7-9

EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

Cable is not pinched at top of run from weight of unsupported cable Cable supports are in satisfactory condition and have not failed

Junction Boxes Covers are in place and secured In high-energy line break (HELB) and loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) areas, weephole is provided and open For boxes in wet areas and HELB and LOCA zones, when terminal blocks are used, drip loops exist on wires coming from higher than the termination and conduits do not drain onto terminal strips

Low-Voltage Cables (where visible) No cracks in jacket or exposed insulation No cuts in jacket or insulation Cables are not discolored (no burn marks or other visual indication of stress (Note: bloom is acceptable; see discussion below) Cable jacket and insulation hardness is as expected and is neither significantly harder nor softer than expected Liquids are not leaching from surface or oozing from the conductor Liquids or steam are not impinging upon cable from external sources

Medium-Voltage Cables (where visible) Same as low-voltage cables plus: Cables are not subjected to tight bends Corona attach of insulation or jacket has not occurred (see description) Cable is not pinched by supports

The detailing of what is acceptable is the basis for the assessment and also the starting point for future assessments. At the time of a future assessment, the acceptable basis for the previous assessment will be either kept or updated with new information and insights. The exceptions from the previous assessment (if they were deemed unnecessary to correct but important to track) will be included for review during the current assessment. Of course, if corrections were made (for example, repairs or replacements were performed), the current assessment would evaluate the corrected conditions in comparison to the acceptable condition rather than an as-left condition. Accordingly, recording the acceptable condition is as important to documenting the results of an assessment as recording the exceptions. The surroundings of the cables should be observed in an assessment. If there are neither adverse conditions in the surroundings, nor equipment or conditions that could expose the cables to 7-10

EPRI Licensed Material In-Plant Cable Evaluation

significant stress (heat, radiation, vibration, steam impingement, chemical attack), then deterioration of the cable system in that area is unlikely. These conditions could be listed as no unacceptable conditions or stressors found. Identification of adverse stressors would indicate the need for tracking the condition of cables in the vicinity at a shortened inspection interval. Intervals should be adjusted based on the severity of the condition identified and the condition of the cables upon inspection. Certain adverse conditions are one-time corrections and do not require re-inspection. Such conditions include the repair of cuts and the removal of trash from trays. Repairs to conduits and tray systems are also included as one-time conditions unless the condition was caused by an agerelated deterioration.

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REFERENCES
1. IEEE Standard for Qualifying Class 1E Equipment for Nuclear Power Generating Stations, IEEE Std. 3231974 and1983, Version 1974 and Version 1983. 2. IEEE Standard for Type Test of Class 1E Electric Cables, Field Splices, and Connections for Nuclear Power Generating Stations, IEEE Std. 3831974. 3. Guideline for the Management of Adverse Localized Equipment Environments, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 1999. TR-109619. 4. Review of Emerging Technologies for Condition Assessment of Underground Distribution Cable Assets, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: TR-114333. 5. Radiation Data for Design and Qualification of Nuclear Plant Equipment, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 1985. NP-4172SP. 6. Training Aids for Visual/Tactile Inspection of Electrical Cables for Detection of Aging, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA and U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.: 2002. 1001391.

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EPRI Licensed Material

A
CABLE SYSTEM AGING MANAGEMENT FLOW CHART

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EPRI Licensed Material Cable System Aging Management Flow Chart

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EPRI Licensed Material Cable System Aging Management Flow Chart

A-3

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