Reliability of valves in nuclear power plant: a review of full life-cycle frameworks and evolution toward physics-data fusion

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Abstract
Valves constitute the largest population of active components in the ‘Defense in Depth’ philosophy of nuclear power plants (NPPs), and their reliability is crucial for nuclear safety. Operational experience and numerous studies indicate that valves remain a critical weak link, yet existing academic reviews are often limited to a single failure mechanism or the operation & maintenance (O&M) phase. To address the lack of a systematic perspective centered on this critical component, this paper constructs a full life-cycle reliability framework, systematically reviewing the current status and progress of NPP valve reliability research from four interrelated pillars: (1) reliability-oriented design and optimization; (2) key failure modes and mechanism analysis; (3) reliability assessment and life prediction; (4) condition monitoring and intelligent O&M. Complementing prior reviews limited to specific phases, this paper utilizes the proposed full life-cycle framework to analyze the profound paradigm shift in NPP valve reliability research—transitioning from static, isolated, physics-dominated analysis toward dynamic, systematic, deep physics-data fusion. We identify four core contradictions hindering this evolution: the conflict between small samples and data-greedy methods, complex physics and simplified models, mechatronic systems and single components, and the black-box nature of models versus the need for explainability. To address these challenges, we provide a forward-looking perspective focused on deepening physics-data fusion, coupling component-level remaining useful life with system-level probabilistic risk assessment, and exploring solutions for model trustworthiness and uncertainty quantification.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (52422506)
  • Zhejiang Key Research and Development Project (2024C01235)
  • Wenzhou Key Science and Technology Project (ZL20250040)

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