EPRI: The Electric Power Research Institute
How safe and reliable are America’s electric power plants?
In 1973 the United States Senate held hearings on the lack of research and development in the power industry. In response, U.S. electric utilities dedicated resources to develop a nonprofit center for research—The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EPRI was mandated with gathering technical experts and members of the electric power industry to work collaboratively on solutions to the challenges of the electric power industry. Among EPRI’s first priorities was an assessment of the reliability of nuclear power facilities with respect to their design, operation, and maintenance.
The following year, a multi-year program was started to improve failure analysis and prevention methods for nuclear power plants. The program was aimed at reducing the incidence of malfunctions that resulted in power outages and at preventing low-probability, catastrophic events such as rupture of pressure vessels or turbine burst. A failure analysis database was developed that would identify generic problems, provide component failure rates, and help focus development efforts. Simultaneously, root cause analyses of known issues were performed to provide understanding that would help control risks and guide product improvements to eliminate those issues. Materials, design, and fabrication technologies used to construct reactor pressure vessels, piping, and turbines were also evaluated. New combinations of engineering, statistical, and inspection methodologies were developed to better assess and minimize risk.
The work was expanded into non-nuclear power generation issues, resulting in the development of new and improved tools to better understand, quantify, and improve reliability in the utility industry as a whole.
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