ACHIEVING COST SAVINGS THROUGH COLLABORATIVE SEISMIC TESTING

Seismic qualification of nuclear power plant equipment through testing has been perceived by utility personnel as a costly and complicated p rocess. Certainly, some equipment types may only be qualified by test due to the complexity of the item and/or the inability to represent th e item in a quantitative analysis. Other factors also influence the re luctance by some to resort to seismic testing. These include cost, dea ling with test failures, lack of understanding of the testing process, and greater reliance on new analytical techniques. A group of utiliti es have allied themselves to address these issues and have formed the Seismic Qualification Reporting and Testing Standardization (SQURTS) g roup. SQURTS has implemented a program whereby testing is performed at a low cost, often lower than a comparable analytical solution. Testin g is conducted at generic seismic levels using generic test procedures , which broadens the applicability of results. Test reports are publis hed in a standard format which shortens the process of review and appr oval. Testing is no longer just a requirement, but a cost-effective op tion. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.