Pipe Degradation & Failure as a Function of In-Service Time (Years) at the time of the OPDE project closure

The goals of the Piping Failure Data Exchange (OPDE) Project were to:

• collect and analyse piping failure event data to promote a better understanding of underlying causes, impact on operations and safety, and prevention;
• generate qualitative insights into the root causes of piping failure events;
• establish a mechanism for efficient feedback of experience gained in connection with piping failure phenomena, including the development of defence against their occurrence;
• collect information on piping reliability attributes and influence factors to facilitate estimation of piping failure frequencies.

The OPDE Project was envisaged to include all possible events of interest with regard to piping failure. It covered piping components of the main safety systems (e.g. ASME Code Class 1, 2 and 3). It also covered non-safety piping systems that, if leaking, could lead to common-cause initiating events such as internal flooding of vital plant areas. As an example, raw water systems such as non-essential service water could be a significant flood source given a pipe break. Steam generator tubes were excluded from the project scope. Specific items were added or deleted upon decision of the Project Review Group (PRG). Two meetings of PRG were held annually. The last meeting was held on 7-8 November 2007. During the meeting, participants discussed the terms and conditions for the third phase of the project (June 2008-May 2011). An updated version of the project database was provided to all participants every six months.

The OPDE project was finally integrated into the CODAP project.

External links

Lydell, B., Riznic, J., "OPDE - The International Pipe Failure Data Exchange Project", Nuclear Engineering and Design, vol. 238(8), 2008, pp. 2115-2123, doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2008.01.002.

Chockie A., Gregor, F., "The Role of Failure Data in Plant Aging Management and Life Extension," Proceedings of the ASME 2008 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference. Volume 6: Materials and Fabrication, Parts A and B, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 27–31 July 2008, pp. 1461-1469, doi: doi.org/10.1115/PVP2008-61552.

Lydell, B., Huerta, A., Gött, K., "Progress With the International Pipe Failure Data Exchange Project", Proceedings of the ASME 2007 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference. Volume 6: Materials and Fabrication, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 22–26 July2007, pp. 695-701, doi: doi.org/10.1115/PVP2007-26278.

Lydell, B., Mathet, E., Gött, K., "OECD Pipe Failure Data Exchange Project: First Term (2002–2005) Results and Insights (PSAM-0059)." Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment & Management (PSAM), eds. Stamatelatos M., and Blackman, H., ASME Press, 2006, doi: doi.org/10.1115/1.802442.paper279.

Lydell, B., Mathet, E., Gött, K., "Piping Service Life Experience in Commercial Nuclear Power Plants: Progress With the OECD Pipe Failure Data Exchange Project," Proceedings of the ASME/JSME 2004 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference. Aging Management and License Renewal, San Diego, California, USA, 25-29 July 2004, pp. 5-10, ASME, doi: doi.org/10.1115/PVP2004-2961.