The complete report (700k)
This Review considers how ageing of the Magnox nuclear power station at Wylfa could be expected to influence performance and safety.
For the Wylfa reactors, the ageing processes apply to a diverse range of different materials and components. Some of these ageing processes are relatively straightforward and well understood; others are complex and have yet to be fully understood. As time passes, it becomes increasingly more difficult, if not more unreliable, to predict the types of age-related problems that are likely to be encountered now and in future years. In fact, as the reactors move well beyond the 20 to 25 year design life originally specified, a greater reliance has to be placed on inspection of in-reactor materials and components and, from this, the ageing effects deduced. The problem here is that the Wylfa reactors do not include features that enable ready access to all of the components susceptible to ageing...
