5. Conclusion

The design process for pressure equipment used in nuclear reactors comprises a complex and coherent set of complementary provisions relating to the choice of materials according to the conditions of use, design according to the results of risk and safety analyses, analysis according to the various damage modes identified, and follow-up during operation, according to feedback and the severity or complexity of the stresses imposed.

This process must be both based on experience and compatible with regulatory developments aimed at harmonizing practices at European level.

The practices applicable to nuclear equipment are designed to be consistent both with international consensuses, which generally refer to Section III of the ASME Code, and with the harmonized standards developed in Europe in the non-nuclear field, in order to provide a privileged...