OECD nuclear energy agency CODAP database project on passive component operating experience. An international collaboration in materials research

Since 2002 the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) operates an event database project that collects information on passive component material degradation to promote a better understanding of underlying causes, failure prevention, and impact on nuclear power plant operations and safety. The project is referred to as the Component Operational Experience, Degradation & Ageing Program (CODAP). Its participating organizations have been engaged in analyses of the operating experience data stored in the CODAP event database and with the results published as Topical Reports that are available from the NEA website. Trends and patterns in material degradation over more than five decades of nuclear power plant operation have been identified and analyzed. This paper presents selected results from studies of temporal trends in pipe failure rates.