Superposition of Time-dependent Data for Accelerated Aging of Nuclear Power Plant Cables and Its Validity

A cable operated in a nuclear power plant (NPP) was removed to examine its degradation degree. Artificial aging was given to a similar new cable insulated with the same material so that we could simulate the degradation that the removed cable had suffered in three different manners by changing the dose rate and period of gamma-ray irradiation. For these cable samples removed or artificially aged, instrumental analyses were conducted. As a result, the validity of a method called “superposition of time-dependent data” used to give the artificial aging to simulate the aging of cables in a NPP has been confirmed.