Technology and Operation - Kernkraftwerk Gösgen

Operation and maintenance
Process parameters displayed on the simulator.
control, video camera surveillance and alarm
management. Together with biometric systems
and non-contact identification systems,
it helps to process and monitor up to 1000
employee entries to the site each day, as well
as more than 20,000 site entries by visitors
each year.
Maintenance and quality
assurance
To ensure that malfunctions of components
are highly unlikely right from the start, all the
structures and plant components that have
an impact on plant safety are inspected on a
regular basis. The authorities and independent
experts are also consulted to this end.
These activities form part of the quality assurance,
which also includes recurring periodic
tests performed during both operation
and maintenance outages. The procurement
and installation of replacement components
is also checked by the KKG’s quality assur-
ance. Additional tasks include the monitoring
and documentation of modifications to the
plant.
Maintenance means the constant upkeep of
the power plant. Since maintenance and the
quality of the maintenance have a significant
impact on the safety, availability and lifetime
of the plant, the entire power plant with all its
systems, components, devices, equipment
and replacement components is subject to
regular, systematic maintenance. Periodic
tests in the form of inspections and functional
checks constitute part of the maintenance
schedule and serve the purpose of
certifying the safety of the plant, together
with its systems and components.
With the introduction and further development
of suitable diagnostic procedures for
monitoring the status of the plant, preventative
maintenance (based on pre-defined test
intervals), is increasingly being replaced by
condition-based maintenance. This requires
detailed knowledge of the components and
their potential weak points and pays particular
consideration to design, material, manufacture,
assembly, the calculation basis, operational
demands, historical test results and
the operating behaviour of the components.
Components that are subject to pressure and
convey radioactivity in the reactor coolant
system are inspected, tested and maintained
over the entire lifetime of the power plant.
Special attention is paid to the reactor pressure
vessel, whose welds are inspected from
the inside with ultrasonic testing equipment.
The ultrasonic test also makes it possible to
detect surface flaws and defects inside the
wall. This method is likewise suitable for detecting
defects produced during manufacture
or generated during operation. These
remote-controlled, periodic tests with ultra-
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