Risk-based methods
Methods for optimizing maintenance strategies

In the United States, the inspection/monitoring programs applied to passive equipment (vessels, piping) in nuclear power plants follow the rules laid down by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). These rules are based on deterministic criteria, and are therefore conservative and restrictive. Studies have also shown that most of the problems encountered do not occur in the areas inspected. Since 1989, the need to better identify risks, reduce maintenance...