This Safety Guide provides recommendations on a structured approach to the establishment and preservation of equipment qualification in nuclear installations, to confirm reliable performance of safety functions by such equipment during operational states and accident conditions, to avoid vulnerability due to common cause failure of the equipment. It applies primarily to equipment that performs one or more safety functions, but it may also be applied to items not important to safety, in accordance with national requirements. The qualification process covers electrical, instrumentation and control, and active mechanical equipment, and components associated with it, for example, seals, gaskets, lubricants, cables, connections, and mounting/anchoring structures. The qualification process for passive mechanical components for which the safety performance is assured by design in accordance with applicable codes, is outside the scope of this publication. The recommendations in this Safety Guide apply to new nuclear installations, and as far as is reasonably practicable to existing nuclear installations.

• 1. INTRODUCTION
  • Background
  • Objective
  • Scope
  • Structure
• 2. CONCEPTS AND PROCESS OF EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION
  • Basic concept of equipment qualification
  • Overview of the equipment qualification process
  • Qualified life
  • Qualification methods
  • Preservation of equipment qualification
  • Management system
  • Documentation
  • Training for equipment qualification
• 3. DESIGN INPUTS FOR EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION
  • General
  • Identification of equipment performance requirements
  • Identification of service conditions
    • Service conditions specified for operational states
    • Electromagnetic interference
    • Service conditions specified for equipment located in mild environments
    • Service conditions specified for harsh environments resulting from design basis accidents
    • Service conditions resulting from design extension conditions with core melting
  • Preliminary suitability assessment
• 4. ESTABLISHING EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION
  • Qualification by type testing
    • General
    • Test specification for equipment qualification by type testing
    • Test specimens for equipment qualification by type testing
    • Demonstration of safety functions during type tests for equipment qualification
    • Simulation of ageing effects (pre-ageing) in type tests for equipment qualification
    • Simulation of seismic conditions in type testing for equipment qualification
    • Simulation of specified service conditions in type testing for equipment qualification
    • Margins for test profiles in type testing for equipment qualification
  • Qualification by analysis
  • Qualification by operating experience
  • Combined methods
  • Assessment of equipment capability for design extension conditions with core melting
• 5. PRESERVATION OF EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION
  • General
  • Ageing effects and qualified life
  • Monitoring of environmental conditions
  • Monitoring the condition of qualified equipment
  • Periodic surveillance of qualified equipment
  • Maintenance relating to qualified equipment
  • Protective barriers for qualified equipment
  • Procurement and storage of qualified equipment
  • Reassessment of the qualified life of equipment
• 6. EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION programme
• 7. INTEGRATION OF EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION INTO SAFETY PROGRAMMES AND PROCESSES
  • Interfaces between the equipment qualification programme and other programmes
  • Safety analysis report
  • Modifications to nuclear installations
• REFERENCES
• Annex INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS RELATINGTO EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION
• DEFINITIONS
• CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW